by HK Khan
He unwraps his own hair and tries simply binding my ponytail with his leather cord. It does about the same as the worn-out elastic I’d been using, and he shakes his head, pulling his hair back once more. Next he braids my hair before shaking his head once more. “I’ll have to do some research, maybe ask Auntie May or one of the other teams.” He shrugs. “I’ll find a good hairstyle for you, Guine, but the braid will have to do for now. I think you’re going to need someone else to show you, though. For now, tuck your braid into your top when we train.”
I glance in the mirror. The paleness of my white-blonde hair reflects the riot of colors surrounding me, and for a moment, the Sunshine nickname Phoenix gave me seems appropriate.
“Thanks, Kent.” I give him a hug, and he sighs in relief.
“Do you need anything else?” he asks, slow to release me.
Phoenix rolls his eyes and points me over toward a pile sitting on his worktop. “Thanks, Kent,” he mimics me with ridiculously fluttering eyelashes. It’s playful, and for once, I don’t feel embarrassed. He nudges Kent away from the table while laughing. “Go play with your science-y things. I’ve got it from here.” He shoos him out of the room and hands me a few items similar to the workout clothes I wear. “Here, try these on. One of us can return whatever doesn’t work for you.” He pulls out the one on the bottom. “Except this one. I added the harnesses directly to it. If it doesn’t work, I can probably fix it here.”
I shift my weight from foot to foot and try to figure out how to graciously decline. I don’t know why I feel so shy. I did take my shirt off and bare myself to them this morning.
He notices my discomfort and runs his hands through his fiery hair. One hand trails down to his chest and traces along the largest jagged scar. “Feeling shy?”
When I nod, he motions for me to take a seat with him on the small sofa against the far wall.
He still rubs the raised skin on his torso, and his eyes take on a faraway look. “When I was little, I had a great family. I was six, and my mom had just had a baby. My little brother, Sam, was so freakin’ cute. He had amber eyes like me, and he would suck on my finger whenever I held him. My mom let me help take care of him, and I loved him more than anything in this world.”
His expression darkens, and I reach out, taking his other hand in mine. He flinches, and I pull away, hurt.
“When Sam was about a year old, my dad brought a new friend home from the bar. The guy bought him drinks all night, and when they came in, they made a ton of noise. Mom started yelling at him for waking the baby. It was really late, and the stranger laughed at their fight. When my mother tried to make him leave, he lunged at her and just tore her throat out with his teeth.”
I suck in a breath and clench my fists to keep from reaching out for his hand again.
“I was peeking out from the hall and saw it happen. It was like a switch flipped. One moment she stood there yelling at this stranger to get out, and the next, she was dying. As she fell to the floor, she looked at me, and in her final moments, she mouthed the word ‘hide’. The rogue vamp turned on my dad, who was screaming, and threw him through the window while humming one of those too cheerful show tunes. My mom’s blood was all over his face, and he was just grinning. My brother was wailing as he picked him up from the crib. I knew I was supposed to hide, but I couldn’t let him hurt Sam, so I grabbed a piece of the broken window frame and stabbed at him with it. I was just hoping to distract him, to get him to follow me away from the house, but somehow, I managed to pierce his heart. He dropped dead, but not before snapping my baby brother’s neck out of spite.”
Tears run down my face, and I move to fold Phoenix into a hug. He stiffens, and I stop. I want to take his pain away, to give him his brother back, but I can’t. He sighs and turns to me.
He deliberately places my hand on his longest scar and sucks in an unsteady breath. His muscles clench under my touch, and I can feel him trembling. “My dad went into a drunken spiral after that. One night, about nine months later, he came home more wasted than usual, and dragged me by my hair out into the dark. He ranted about putting his family back together and swung a knife around while shouting out into the woods. We must have stumbled around for close to an hour before we came upon a clearing. He sobbed about how sorry he was. I tried to get away, but he was so much stronger than me. I begged him to stop, but he just kept hollering. He stabbed me half a dozen times and then slit his own throat.
“I remember feeling cold and scared. It hurt too much to move, and I knew I was dying. It took a long time, though, and just as dawn climbed through the trees, Auntie May found me.” Phoenix’s golden eyes focus, and he wipes away my tears. “It was her, along with Ash, Kent, and Doc. I remember her turning to Doc, who was scared shitless, and telling him he had to use his venom if he wanted to save me.
“He managed to, eventually, but ended up puking twice before he could do it. He was only eight at the time, so even though he healed me, it left scars where my asshole dad had carved into my flesh.”
My fingers drift to one of my own scars. Venom heals wounds completely if it’s used right away.
“They took me to the Hunters after I healed, and that’s where I became part of my true family.” He takes my hand tightly and whispers, “I promise to do my best to keep you comfortable, but it’s my job to outfit our team. I make all of our stuff, harnesses, combat uniforms, tech... Trust me so I can do my job.”
I nod in understanding and move to brush a lock of his hair behind his ear, but he flinches away.
“You don’t like to be touched?” I ask softly as I clench the hand he’d taken.
He shakes his head, and slowly wraps an arm around me. The gesture warms my heart.
“I’m so sorry for what you went through. I bet your mom and brother are really proud of you. I know I would be.” I finger the clothes I wear, the ones he got for me. “Thank you, Phoenix.”
“I want you to know”—he leans his head against me—“being around you, Guine, makes me want to be touched. Be patient, okay? Let me reach out for you first.”
I nod, strengthened by the idea of helping him. So many things click into place. I recall Ash and Kent’s reactions when Phoenix nudged me and held onto me. No one had said anything. Taking a deep breath, I stand and he turns his head away while I change clothes. When I put on the pants, I discover they’re covered with straps and buckles, and I have no idea what to do.
With the top held to my chest, I groan. “Phoenix, I need help. I can’t figure this out.”
He chuckles and helps strap me in. He grabs a few of the leather pieces he’d been working on and outfits me in several sheathes and harnesses. When he goes to put a leather bracer on me, he pauses and traces his finger along one of the scars on my forearm.
“What the hell is this?” He points to the scar from the first time I tried to kill myself.
I shake my head, not wanting to talk about it. “Nothing.”
He finds the other two and growls. He looks at me knowingly and says in a low, commanding voice, “No more of this bullshit, Sunshine, okay? You and me, we have enough scars.”
I nod mutely, and Phoenix stares deeply into my eyes until he believes me. Once he’s sure, he goes back to his task of strapping me in.
When he finishes, he sends me off in search of Genji, telling me to leave him alone to finish his work. Sticking my tongue out at him, I leave through the bright red door. I have questions about what happened earlier, so I’m excited to have Genji answer them for me. With directions from Phoenix, I navigate my way out of the labyrinth again and head to the office.
I enter as they both reach for their phones. Serious expressions drop over their faces, and I pause.
“What are we looking at, Kent? Do you know?” The urgency in Genji’s tone makes my heart race. “Are they in danger?”
At the idea of any of them getting hurt, I rush forward and peek at Kent’s screen.
He tilts it for me to see better and shakes his he
ad. “I haven’t a clue what this is, Ji. Guine?”
I stare at the picture, and my mind reels. The room spins, and I grip his forearm as I begin to shake.
“Where did this come from?” I demand with a raspy voice. They look at me sharply, and I ask again. “Where did you get this?”
“Ash just sent us these photos. The twins had to take down a vampire who was covered in these marks while they mapped the area where they found you. Do you know what it is?” Kent questions.
I nod and deflate.
Genji puts an arm around me as he comes close, holding onto me in a reversal from our earlier roles while he helps me to his chair. “Kitten, whatever has you so shaken, please share. You’re scaring us, and we need to know if this is dangerous for the guys.”
I nod and close my eyes. The images of dark bruises ringed in red, and stark black veins standing out against pale skin, are burned into my mind.
“It’s the Black Death,” I whisper.
Kent exhales audibly.
Genji’s grip loosens. “Well, we have treatments for that, however unusual it is. Why are you so shaken, Kitten?”
I open my eyes and nail him with a hard stare. They need to know just how bad this could be. “You don’t understand. It’s not the one in human histories. Similar, but this one only affects vamps, and it drives them mad. It’s a variation of the Bubonic Plague from the Middle Ages, but it’s only transmittable from an infected vampire through drinking their blood.”
They share confused glances, and I sigh, leaning forward. There’s so much they don’t know.
“When vampires have sex, they usually share blood. It supposedly makes the experience more…intense. If one of them is infected, the other will become sick as well. You can’t get it from touch, thank God, and even if the infected blood comes in contact with an open wound, it’s not a guarantee you’ll get ill. The blood needs to be ingested, but once you’re sick, there’s no cure. It affects the body first, causing them to be in a constant state of blood lust. They’ll rampage if no one keeps them in check.” Genji blanches as he starts to understand. “Then it affects the brain, making you go insane. Your reasoning goes and you give in to your more animalistic nature.”
With furrowed brows, Kent takes a seat on the desk in front of me. “Why don’t we know about this?”
I fiddle with a paperclip I find. “Humans don’t know because the vamps have kept it a secret. They hunt and kill any infected, and take out anyone who tells, as well as anyone they told. It’s one of their biggest lies. Vamps get sick, too, and it’s so much worse because of the destruction they can cause when they lose control.” I glance at Genji and give him a weak smile. “At least hybrids can’t catch it. The human part of their DNA rejects the virus. As far as I know, it causes flu-like symptoms in them, but is flushed from their systems within twenty-four hours.”
“This is really helpful, Guine,” Kent muses. “We need to take some time soon and find out what exactly you know about vampires. It seems there’s a lot we’re in the dark about.”
I nod, surprised with how little information they have. They’re Hunters! They’re whispered about like a scary story to keep young vamps in line. They should know this stuff.
“I think that’s a good idea,” I agree. “But first, you need to find the source of the plague. If there was one, there’ll be more. Vamps aren’t exactly faithful to their mates. We need to get them before they wreak havoc on the nearby towns.”
Kent pulls out his phone and makes a call, while Genji holds me in a warm hug. “I’m so glad we found you, Kitten.”
I sink into his embrace.
Me, too.
Chapter Eight
While we wait for the guys to get back from their various missions and tasks, I help Genji restock his medical supplies, and he gives me a rundown on basic first aid.
“All of us have access to my venom, Kitten. If someone is injured and I’m not around, a few drops on the skin, or 1cc of it injected into the site, will heal most wounds. If you don’t see the effects soon, you can repeat the process.” He hands me a small vial, less than an inch long, with a unique stopper. “This”—he pulls the top off—“has a tiny, hollow needle, and will work as a syringe in a pinch.”
He shows me how to dip it, and that it can be filled like a quill with ink. He wraps a leather cord around an indentation at the top of the bottle and draws me close. He loops it around my neck and pulls my hair through.
“We all wear these,” he smiles, making my stomach quiver as though Phoenix’s drones were flying around in it. Genji’s voice lowers. “Welcome to the family.”
My heart skips a beat, and I grin.
Family.
It’s a foreign concept to me; one I’d long since given up hope on. Family is something I’ve kept sheltered in my heart as my deepest desire, and these guys throw the term around like it’s not earth shattering. My toes curl in my shoes, and I attempt to keep my excitement contained.
Genji tosses a handful of opened syringes into a medical-waste bin and it occurs to me I can share some knowledge with him, too. “You know you can reuse the needles, right?”
He tilts his head and goes green as disgust crosses his face. “That’s unhygienic.”
“No,” I assure him.
I take one of his needles and prick my finger with it. I squeeze a drop of my blood onto a glass paperweight, and add a tiny droplet of his venom beside it.
“Watch,” I direct.
I tilt the paperweight until the venom makes contact with my blood, and Genji sucks in a breath at what takes place.
“Oh, wow!” He leans in close, examining it, and shakes his head. “There’s so much I don’t know, Guine.”
Watching the reaction between the two pulls him in; it takes about sixty seconds for the venom to completely envelop the blood. “If the tissues are alive and connected to a host, they’ll be repaired, but if taken away from the body, the venom transmutes it into an energy source and consumes it.” I glance at Genji. His mouth hangs open. “If you time it right, you can make a volatile substance by separating them before the energy is consumed.”
His eyes light up, and he gives me a wicked smirk. “When Kent gets back, show him this. I bet he’ll help us play with it downstairs in the lab!”
Their lab is here?
“Sounds good to me,” I respond with excitement. Every minute I spend with these guys makes me feel more and more like I belong. “Although”—a thought occurs to me, and I furrow my brow in concentration—“knowing there are infected vamps running around, maybe it’s best that you keep tossing your needles. I’m not sure how the disease reacts to venom. We shouldn’t take any chances. You might accidentally infect a healthy vampire, and that can snowball quickly.”
A commotion outside interrupts me. A murderous bellow thunders, and Genji and I race toward the door. In seconds, we skid to a halt outside the cabin, and I’m somewhat surprised I could keep up with Genji and his hybrid speed. Did he slow himself for my benefit?
“Don’t you take that shit anywhere near Guine, do you hear?” Hawk holds his axe threateningly and blocks Ashton from coming closer to the house.
“Stand down,” Ash orders his twin, but the brooding knucklehead just growls at him.
“What the hell is going on?” I shout, ducking around Hawk so I can see them both.
Ash paces, muttering obscenities under his breath, and Hawk’s jaw clenches so tight I’m afraid he’ll crack it.
I take a step toward Ashton, and Hawk grabs me by the arm, yanking me back. “Don’t get close to him, love,” he bites out. “You’ll get infected.”
It’s the second time he called me love, but I don’t have time to think about how it makes me feel. At the idea of Ashton being ill, I yank my arm away and sprint for my friend.
“Fuck, no!” The dark warrior rages and grabs me around the waist, hauling me over his shoulder.
“Put. Me. Down,” I seethe. I pound hard at his back, but it has no
effect. He grunts at the impact but doesn’t budge.
“No.” He starts walking away with me.
“There better be a damn good explanation for what I’m seeing!” Kent shouts as he enters the clearing. He storms toward us, practically shooting lightning bolts out of his eyes at Hawk.
I huff and take advantage of the momentary distraction to extract myself from the jerk’s grip. I knee Hawk in the neck for good measure and do a flip over his shoulder, righting myself and landing on my feet behind him. My blood rages through me at being manhandled, and I kick his knees out from under him as I walk past.
“Guine, can you please tell me what just happened?” Kent rocks back on his heels and inclines his head toward Hawk.
“I’m not entirely certain,” I reply through clenched teeth. “There was shouting, and Genji and I came out to see if anyone needed help. When we got here, Hawk was about to take Ashton’s head off.” I glare at the axe and wonder what would have happened had we not arrived. “When I tried to see what was wrong, he hauled me over his shoulder like a freaking barbarian.” I kick dirt at Hawk. “I didn’t like that.”
“Kent”—Ashton clears his throat—“Hawk was concerned I’d be careless with this.” He holds up a vial of black liquid. “The asshat thought I would hurt Guine.”
The hitch in his voice simultaneously breaks my heart and stokes the fire of my rage toward Hawk.
How dare he do this to his brother?
“And what are you trying to bring into our home, Ash?” Genji’s entire demeanor changes, and in this moment, he takes on the appearance of every human child’s worst nightmare. He’s about thirty seconds from snapping someone’s neck.
Ashton sees the same thing I do and talks fast. “It’s a sample from the vamp we took down earlier. I wanted Kent to analyze it in the lab.”
Genji relaxes, and Kent chuckles nervously. I guess he was closer to the edge than I’d realized.
“Hawk, do you trust Ash?” Kent’s voice radiates the icy kind of calm that sends shivers down my spine. The clearing falls silent, everyone holding their breath.