Consumed: The Vampire Awakenings, Book 8

by Davies, Brenda K.

  “Yep.” Aida tossed the remote onto the nightstand and drew one leg up. She hugged it against her chest as she lowered her chin to her knee.

  “You didn’t want to talk to him?”

  “Why? He left when I was two. Mollie has memories of him, but I don’t have any, and I never missed him in my life.”

  She couldn’t entirely sell her indifference. Walking over, he rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. Aida came with Mollie; they were a package deal he would have accepted even if Aida was a selfish brat. But she was far from selfish, and he admired the young woman’s spine of steel.

  Aida could have let the unfair circumstances of her life turn her into a person who pitied herself and blamed the world for everything that went wrong. However, like Mollie, she chose to grow stronger instead of weaker by all her losses.

  “He lost out on two beautiful, strong, proud women,” Mike said.

  Aida’s mouth parted, and tears formed in her eyes before she glanced away. Mike removed his hand from her shoulder and walked over to the door. He almost entered the room but changed his mind. Mollie needed this time to sort through things with her father, and he would give it to her.

  Lifting the bag of food from the table, he handed it over to Aida. “Enjoy, kid.”

  “Thanks,” she said and pulled the bag open to reveal the ice cream, chips, candy, and cooked hot dogs he’d gotten from the gas station down the street. “This is enough to give me a coronary.”

  “But you’ll be happy beforehand.”

  Aida chuckled as she pulled out a plastic spoon and the pint of ice cream. “Damn right I will be.”

  Mike settled on the bed. A few minutes later, the door between the rooms opened, and Mollie entered. “You okay?” he asked as she walked over to sit on the bed beside him.

  “Yes,” she said and lay down next to him.

  When Mike pulled her into his arms, she settled her head on his chest and listened to the reassuring beat of his heart while she watched Aida devour her ice cream. She was amazed to realize she really was okay.

  “What did he have to say?” Aida asked as she licked her spoon clean, tossed it in the bag, and dug inside for more food.

  Mollie filled them in on the conversation with her father.

  Aida froze in the middle of squeezing a ketchup packet onto the hot dog tucked into a yellow, plastic container on her lap. “Why did you call him?”

  “Because it’s time to let go of my anger,” she said, and her fingers curled into Mike’s chest. “It’s time to start fresh. I always insisted I wasn’t angry at him, but then I realized I never got over him leaving.”

  “Hmm,” Aida grunted as she tossed the empty packet into the bag by her feet. “How’s his life going?”

  “I didn’t ask.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” She didn’t want to be angry anymore, but she also didn’t want to hear that he was living it up on the west coast, lounging by the pool every day with his possible wife and children. If they spoke again, she’d ask, because she would like to know if she had other siblings. “If we talk again, I’ll ask, but I got what I needed out of the conversation.”

  “And do you think you will talk again?” Mike inquired.

  “I think so,” Mollie murmured.

  “Hmm,” Aida grunted again.

  “Would you like to talk to him next time?” Mollie asked her.

  “Nope.”

  Aida set her untouched hotdog into the bag by her feet. Mollie knew better than to push the issue; Aida could be as stubborn as a mule when she didn’t want to do something.

  Aida lifted the bag and dropped her foot to the ground. “I’ll let you two lovebirds be.”

  “Stay,” Mike said when she started to rise. He wanted time alone with Mollie, but he sensed Aida’s unhappiness, and she was his sister now too. “We’ll watch the news together.”

  Aida hesitated. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Aida’s smile tugged at Mollie’s heart as her sister settled back into the chair and retrieved her hot dog. Maybe she wanted nothing to do with their father, but Aida still craved a family and love. They were close, they counted on each other for everything, but the two of them versus the world got lonely at times, and now they both had the opportunity to expand their family.

  Mollie hugged Mike closer. “Thank you,” she whispered into his mind.

  He kissed the top of her head.

  Chapter Fifty

  The spill of headlights flooding the room roused Mike from sleep. He glanced down at Mollie nestled securely in his arms and then over at Aida slumped in the chair in a position that would make it difficult for her to move her neck when she woke.

  The headlights from multiple vehicles bounced over the walls before stopping in front of his room and illuminating the brown drapes covering the plate glass window. He’d given Liam his room number, but there was no guarantee it was his friend out there now.

  Shortly after arriving here, Mike ditched the stolen car, so the only other vehicle in the lot was the clerk’s, but that didn’t mean the vampires from the island hadn’t somehow tracked them here. His fangs pricked as his killer instincts surged to the forefront. If their enemy awaited them, he’d tear every single one of them to shreds.

  Carefully, he lifted Mollie’s arm and slid out from under her as the cars turned off. Walking over to the window, he pulled back the edge of one curtain to reveal four vehicles in the lot. As he watched, Liam, Stefan, and Isabelle climbed out of one car; Ian, Paige, Willow, and Julian out of another, Ethan, David, and Mia from the third, and Aiden, Maggie, Abby, and Brian from a Jeep.

  A soft step alerted him to Mollie and Aida’s approach before they both stopped beside him. Ducking under his arm, Mollie positioned herself to peer outside, and Aida slid underneath her. As she stared out, Aida craned her neck back and forth to stretch it out.

  “Is that your family?” Mollie whispered.

  “Yes, and they’re your family now too,” he reminded her. “Yours also,” he said to Aida, making sure the girl knew she would be protected and accepted by them from here on out.

  “There’s a lot of them,” Aida muttered, but she couldn’t hide her smile.

  “There’s more at home, but mostly the children.”

  Mike released the curtain and went to the door. Opening it, he stepped back to let everyone inside. The somber air surrounding the clan didn’t diminish their smiles as they all embraced and spoke over each other while Mike introduced them to Mollie and Aida. Mollie was a little hesitant at first, and he sensed her becoming overwhelmed, but she slowly relaxed. Aida was more outgoing and welcoming of their hugs while she spoke with everyone.

  Mollie kept her smile in place as more and more vampires came forward to embrace her and welcome her to their family. Mollie had always wished they had more relatives to lean on, but she couldn’t help feeling dazed by the sheer number of vampires and their easy acceptance of her and Aida.

  Mike rested his hand on Mollie’s waist when her distress beat against him. “It takes time to learn everyone’s names,” he said. “I’ve been with this clan since before most of them were born, and I often call them by the wrong names. If you forget someone just say, ‘hey you.’ It’s easier.”

  “And those kind of assholey comments are why we call them The Stooges,” Isabelle said with a warm smile as she squeezed Mollie’s arm. Then her brow furrowed, tears filled her eyes, and Stefan stepped forward to rest his hand on her shoulder. “Or they were The Stooges,” she muttered before turning away.

  Mike drew Mollie closer against his side when grief stabbed like a knife through his chest. Julian came forward to greet Aida and Mollie. Mike didn’t miss the double take Julian did when he saw Aida or the fact the young vampire stayed close by Aida’s side while she spoke with Ian and Paige. Mike had never heard Julian talk about a girl before, but he suspected Julian might have discovered his first crush.

  When the introductions e
nded, and Stefan, Brian, Aiden, and Ethan left to get the keys to more rooms, Liam rested his hand on Mike’s arm. “Can we talk alone?” Liam inquired.

  “Will you be okay if I go speak with Liam for a bit?” Mike whispered in Mollie’s ear.

  She still seemed overwhelmed, but she smiled and rested her hand on his cheek before kissing him. “I’ll be fine.”

  When Mike stepped away from her, Abby and Maggie grasped her arms and led her into the third room where Paige, Mia, Willow, Isabelle, and Ian were studying the map Doug stole from the mansion. Aida and Julian followed the others and closed the door behind them.

  Mike stood facing David and Liam as, from the other room, the drone of voices continued.

  “Where is Doug?” Liam asked.

  Mike closed his eyes and took a breath to brace himself for having to see Doug again. He’d seen too many dead bodies over his years as a vampire, but none of them had ever bothered him. Doug’s would haunt him for the rest of his life.

  “This way,” Mike said and led them into the next room. The others would eventually want to see their uncle and friend too, but this time was for them alone.

  Mike flicked on the light switch in the bathroom to illuminate the broken blue floor tiles and green tub. It was the last place he wanted Doug to be, and he could have buried Doug already, but he knew the others would want their chance to say goodbye to him.

  Mike stayed by the green sink as Liam and David approached the tub. They gazed at Doug with similar expressions of rage and sorrow.

  Mike gave them a few minutes to take it in, but he knew that days from now, the loss of Doug still wouldn’t have sunk in. They’d all known this day might come for one of them; if they’d remained mortal, they could all be dead by now, but none of them had ever truly expected to lose one of their own.

  “There are a lot of Savages on that island,” he finally said. “We may need more help than what’s here.”

  “There is none,” Liam said without taking his eyes off Doug. “Sera and Emma had to stay with the children. Aiden contacted Ronan to see if he could send some help, but he has his own problems with the Savages and can’t help.”

  Mike’s teeth clenched as his thoughts turned to his nieces and nephews going to that island. “They all have young children, and Willow and Julian haven’t fully matured yet. They can’t put themselves at risk.”

  Willow turned nineteen in January, and Julian’s eighteenth birthday was April first, but neither of them had fully come into their vampire powers yet.

  “They all insisted on coming,” Liam said. “I tried to talk them out of it, but they refused to be deterred. Jack wouldn’t leave one of them behind, and they won’t leave him behind. They also believed it was best if both mates came. They didn’t want their children to see what would happen to the mate who remained behind if they lost the other during this.

  “With Levi still so young, Emma had to stay with her son, and Sera agreed to remain to watch the other children; Kyle and Cassidy will help them. Willow and Julian are going to stay here to protect Aida and Mollie. It was the condition they agreed to upon coming with us.”

  “I see,” Mike said. He still didn’t like it, but his nieces and nephews were powerful, immortal adults who could make their own decisions.

  “I didn’t like it either,” Liam said. “I also didn’t like leaving Emma and Sera behind as the only two fully matured vampires, but none of us wanted any of the children near this, and we knew this would require as many of us here as possible. The compound is safe, and the two of them are strong, but it still makes me nervous,” Liam said.

  “Understandable,” Mike said. It made him nervous too. “We’ll find Jack and end this as soon as we can.”

  “We will make them pay for this,” David said.

  “Yes,” Mike agreed. “What do we do with Doug? We can’t keep him in this tub much longer, and I didn’t want to bury him so far away from home, but…”

  “But there’s no other choice,” Liam said when Mike’s voice trailed off.

  * * *

  Mike and Mollie spent most of the next morning in bed. By the time everyone arrived the night before, and they buried Doug in a secluded spot overlooking the sea, it was too late for them to set out for the island to rescue Jack. They had to find boats, discuss a plan, and learn as much as they could from Mike, Mollie, and Aida about what to expect and the layout of the land.

  Doug’s funeral was simple, far simpler than Mike would have preferred, and he vowed that one day, his friend would have better. When they returned to the motel after the burial, everyone went their separate ways with the agreement to meet again at noon. Until then, most of them needed rest and some time alone.

  With the funeral over and his family gone to their rooms, Mike had sunk onto the bed, and for the first time given in to the tears he’d kept suppressed since Doug died. Doug was gone, and nothing would ever fill the hole his passing had created. Cradling him in her arms, Mollie held him until his tears subsided and he lost himself to the miracle of their love for each other.

  Lying in Mike’s arms, Mollie could almost pretend he wasn’t going to leave her and walk back into danger, but as the red numbers on the bedside clock climbed steadily toward noon, she stopped pretending.

  “I’m a vampire too; take me with you,” she whispered.

  “No,” Mike said as he ran his fingers over her arm and savored the feel of her bare body against his. “You’re newly turned and could be more of a danger than a help if you lose control there.”

  “I’ve handled the change well so far.”

  “And how do you think you would handle seeing a lot of blood? Remember how much you saw when we were on the island. If you lose control, you could get yourself killed. I won’t be gone long, and Julian and Willow will help you hunt animals to feed on if it becomes necessary, but you can’t come, Mollie.”

  “Mike—”

  “Believe me, I’d rather have you with me than leave you behind, but we can’t risk it with you being so newly turned.”

  She knew he was right. Just thought of blood made her fangs tingle; what would happen if she were tossed into the middle of the hunt and surrounded by all that blood again? She shuddered at the thought of losing control and becoming a Savage.

  “You’ll come back to me,” she whispered.

  “Nothing could stop me from returning to you. Nothing. We’re going to get Jack, and then I will be back in your arms.”

  His mouth found hers as he pushed her onto her back and slid his thigh between hers. When he lifted his head to look at her again, the love in his eyes stole her breath.

  “You’re mine forever, Mollie.”

  She smiled as she rested her hand on his cheek. “And you’re mine forever.”

  Bending his head, he reclaimed her mouth. Later, he would go rescue his friend, but for now, it was just the two of them, and she had no doubt he would return to her. Their love and this bond consuming them could never be broken.

  The End

  Look for Jack’s story, Unforeseen (Vampire Awakenings, Book 9) coming in 2019!

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  If you haven’t had the chance to start it yet, check out the Vampire Awakenings spinoff, The Alliance Series! Eternally Bound is the first book in this series and focuses on Ronan.

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  About the Author

  Brenda K. Davies is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Vampire Awakening Series, Alliance Series, Road to Hell Series, Hell on Earth Series, and historical romantic fiction. She also writes under the pen name, Erica Stevens. When not out with friends and family, she can be found at home with her husband, dog, and horse.