Blood Bond

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “Goodbye to you, too, Cam. I’ll miss you.” He let go of Victoria’s hand long enough to hug Cambria. Victoria made a heaving sound.

  “I might find it in me to miss you,” Cambria told him.

  He grinned and hugged me. “It’s not going to be the same this summer without you two stirring things up,” he said.

  “Oh, we’ll still be doing that. I’m bunking with Tara this summer,” Cambria said.

  Logan’s brow shot up. “Huh. Well, try not to get arrested.”

  Cambria snorted. “Like that would ever happen. I’d just charm—” She stopped short and stared at Victoria, eyes wide.

  “Please.” Victoria waved her hand. “Like I don’t know you did that to me.”

  “Logan,” Cambria hissed, sending him an accusatory glare.

  “I didn’t say anything. She knew.”

  “Wait, does that mean the truce is over?” I asked. Suddenly, the idea of leaving my packed bags in my room didn’t seem very safe.

  “You mean the truce you managed to trick out of me under duress?” Victoria folded her arms.

  Cambria shook her head. “Uh-uh. New deal. It’s called the Logan truce, and you have no choice, even without being charmed.”

  “What the hell is the Logan truce?” Victoria demanded.

  “Look, you want to date Logan, God knows why.” Logan shot her a look, which she ignored. “But he was our friend first and will continue to be. Hence, the Logan truce.”

  “That’s the dumbest logic ever. Besides, I won’t even see you until fall. We can negotiate the details then.”

  “You’re not going to see Logan until fall, either,” I said, but one look at Victoria’s smug smile and Logan’s guilty one told me I was wrong. “Or maybe you are.”

  “Victoria’s coming home with me for a while,” Logan said. “Her parents are still missing so she doesn’t really have anywhere to go.”

  At the mention of her parents, the evil twist left Victoria’s expression. In its place was sadness and fear, and suddenly she was just a girl with no family. Guilt stabbed at me. I hadn’t told her what I knew. Her parents weren’t missing like she thought. CHAS had them locked in a cell so they could be studied after being turned into hybrid Werewolves. I didn’t feel any loyalty to CHAS or the powers that be, but Alex was different. And I’d promised him.

  “You have family,” Cambria said. “In Vermont or something. I’ve heard you talk about them.”

  “Her family won’t talk to her until her parents are found. There are rumors of them being turned,” explained Logan. I stared at the ground.

  “Well … that sucks.”

  I looked up, shocked at Cambria’s empathetic response. She wasn’t looking at any of us. Instead, she stared blankly at some plaque on the far wall depicting a wig-wearing headmaster from the seventeenth century.

  Logan cleared his throat, and Victoria tugged on his hand. “Well, we’re going to meet up with my parents, get our stuff together. I’ll talk to you guys soon,” he said.

  “Call us, okay?” I gave him a one-armed hug, steering clear of the hand he’d attached to Victoria.

  “You okay?” I asked Cambria when they were gone.

  “Hmm? Yeah, why?” We wandered toward the door, a task made easier by the near-empty hall.

  “You seem preoccupied.”

  “Just happy to be sprung from this place for a few months.”

  I nodded as we walked out into the sunshine, unable to voice any sort of agreement. The ache in my chest—the one I pretended was indigestion—sharpened at the thought of leaving.

  *

  My bags were intact. I’d been briefly worried Demi would mess with them, but she’d been leaving us alone. I think she was on some sort of probation. She kept it very hush-hush. I’d heard she’d been interviewed and released under the assumption Miles had used this “sweet, innocent, and very gullible teenager for his insane and criminal acts.” I’d almost barfed when Alex told me that.

  Alex.

  Alex was gone. I felt numb about his absence, unless you counted the ache—which I didn’t.

  I mentally shook myself. Nope. Wasn’t thinking about it.

  “Did your grandma say anything about George?” Cambria asked as we walked toward the parking lot.

  I glanced around, checking to make sure we were out of earshot of the few kids left on campus. I’d told Cambria what Miles had done, injecting George with whatever it was he’d concocted to create these hybrids. I’d also told her there was no way we could let the other Hunters, or more importantly CHAS, know about his change. They’d only lock him up—or worse.

  “She said he’s okay, for now. Whatever Fee is giving him has slowed everything down. But nothing can stop it.” I sighed, feeling the worry come crashing down anew. “I just need to get there so we can figure this out.”

  “You could give him your blood and see what happens,” she said.

  I frowned. “You know how dangerous that could be. Miles was nuts. For all I know, he told me to do that because it will kill George instantly, or make him an even bigger monster.”

  “What about that Astor guy?”

  I shook my head. “I asked Grandma about him. He’s some mad scientist whose experiments killed a girl. She says to stay away from him. I don’t think it was a request.”

  “Sounds like he and Miles must’ve got along great.”

  We rounded the corner and the shiny Hummer came into view, double-parked, as usual. Grandma loaded bags as a sickly-looking Vera leaned against the passenger door.

  “Maybe Vera knows of something,” Cambria said.

  “Maybe,” I agreed half-heartedly.

  We added our bags to the growing pile, helped Vera into the front seat, and climbed in.

  “Geez,” said Cambria. “It’s like an army-issued cave or something. Are there rocket launchers? I’ve always wanted to shoot a rocket.”

  Grandma laughed and backed out. “Sorry, no weapons of mass destruction. Unless you count the passengers, of course.” She winked into the mirror.

  I watched the buildings as they slowly faded from sight. Griffin Hall loomed larger than the others. I felt conflicted—I should’ve been relieved, excited to be leaving. And a part of me was. Another part felt lost, like whichever version of myself I’d brought to Wood Point was still on the grounds, left behind.

  Two hours later, Grandma took an exit advertising gas and burgers. “Anybody want anything?” she asked as she hopped out.

  “A bottle of water would be perfect,” Vera said. Her eyes were dark underneath where shadows had formed in the time we’d been on the road.

  “Sure.” Grandma looked at me. “Tara, anything?”

  “Water’s good,” I said, scratching absently at the base of my neck. Since she’d opened the door, a strange feeling had crept in. Not goosebumps. This was different. Still, the threat it held was unmistakable.

  “I need a restroom and I don’t think you can go get that,” Cambria said. She climbed out and headed off toward the station entrance.

  I watched her, on edge, my eyes darting to the shadows created by the gutter overhang that wrapped around the stained stucco walls. Nothing moved. Two other cars sat parked at the pumps and a rusty pickup dripped oil onto the space by the door.

  As Cambria entered, a man exited. He wore battered shorts and a shirt with so many holes I didn’t see the point in the fabric. I stared as he got into his truck, trying to zero in on him—or anything that could be the cause of this strange feeling. Nothing registered. A moment later, his clutch popped and he motored off.

  The feeling remained.

  I scanned the lot, but nothing and no one in it seemed to be the source. I shifted in my seat, my palms sweaty; the cool air had escaped when Grandma opened the door.

  “Everything all right?” Vera asked.

  I looked up sharply and found her watching me through the mirror in her visor.

  “I’m fine,” I mumbled, feeling a little awkward. Vera
always made me feel that way.

  She frowned and twisted in her chair to face me, her eyes searching. For what, I didn’t know. “You look unsettled.”

  Unsettled.

  That wasn’t a bad way to describe it. I opened my mouth, ready to brush her off, to tell her she was imagining things, when the feeling suddenly spiked. Something like adrenaline burst from my chest and ran through my veins. My leg jerked at the unexpected energy. My incisors sharpened and my jaw stretched forward. I clamped both hands over my mouth and stared at Vera with wide eyes.

  “Tara?”

  I grappled for the door handle and pushed it open. When I’d jumped clear of the Hummer, I ran. I didn’t stop until I’d rounded the corner and reached the dumpster. My knees buckled and I bent over and heaved. Nothing came up but my stomach churned and roiled. My breaths came in short gasps and my lungs swelled to bursting. Was this what an asthma attack felt like?

  “Tara?” Cambria appeared from the front of the building. She held a bottle of water in each hand. She watched me warily, like one might approach a wild animal.

  “I’m good,” I said, still breathing heavily. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “I felt like I was going to be sick for a minute.”

  She handed me one of the waters. I took it and gulped. It was cold enough to chill my insides as it went down. I was grateful. It calmed the swirling in my stomach.

  “Do you get carsick or something?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “First time for everything, I guess.”

  “But you’re okay now?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” I gulped more water.

  “Huh.” She eyed me another minute and then turned to leave. “Well, come on. Your grandma wants to get going.”

  “Right behind you.”

  Grandma was waiting at the car, arms crossed. “You all right?” she called before I’d finished crossing the lot.

  “Fine. Carsick, I guess,” I called back.

  “You’ve never been car sick before,” she said, though she didn’t look nearly as suspicious as Cambria.

  We merged onto the highway in silence. I took a few more sips of water. The tightness in my stomach loosened as the miles stretched on. Vera’s face reflected in the mirror and I found her watching me. I forced a smile and then looked away, feeling exposed for a reason I couldn’t even name.

  Chapter Four

  Mom agreed to Cambria staying with us way easier than I’d expected. She said having another Hunter my own age around would be a good influence, keep me out of trouble.

  Clearly, she didn’t know Cambria very well.

  But, she did give us permission to go to Fee’s the next morning. It shocked me, after the way she’d acted about The Cause before I left, but who was I to argue? I had a feeling her willingness had something to do with Wes’s absence. Once he returned, I was sure she’d take up her usual “The Cause is the devil” attitude.

  “We’ll take my car whenever you’re ready,” Grandma said, as Cambria and I loaded our breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. I bolted upstairs to dab on lip gloss, hurrying now, and beat everyone back down again.

  My mother met me in the foyer, a spray bottle of water in her gardening-gloved hands. “Oh, good, I wanted to speak to you alone,” she said.

  I followed her into the sunroom. I didn’t want to talk. I wanted George. She went to a flat of planters sitting on a table near the window and began spraying them. I stayed near the door. “What’s up?”

  “You’re going to be a senior next year, and it’s got me thinking.”

  My shoulders fell. This didn’t sound quick. “About what?”

  “I know you think I sent you to Wood Point because I don’t trust you, but that’s not true. I did it to protect you. I ignored what you are for too long, and now you’re suffering the consequences. You aren’t trained, and it puts you in danger.”

  “Jack and Fee were training me, remember?”

  “I know that, but you have so much time to make up for. You deserve to learn from the best. Having you so far away has been hard on me too. I just want you safe.”

  “I know, Mom.”

  “I think you and I should work on things. Try to find a common ground. I know you think I don’t trust your judgment, but I do. I’d like us to start fresh, a clean slate.”

  “That sounds great.”

  Her words had been surprisingly accurate. So often my mother would lose herself in running the shop and fail to realize how little credit she gave me for how I handled the responsibility of so much freedom. We’d both kept secrets and lied to the other. Maybe that made us even. “Does our clean slate have anything to do with you letting me go to Fee’s?”

  “Like I said, I trust your judgment. Or I’m trying to.”

  “And Wes? Are you going to let me see him?”

  Her sunny smile dimmed. “I’m a work in progress.”

  “Mom …”

  “I’m not going to keep you from seeing him. I just wish you’d pick someone … safer.”

  “You mean someone human.”

  “I know that’s probably unreasonable. I can’t explain it to you. Maybe one day you’ll have kids and understand. I need you safe, and a Hunter’s life isn’t ever safe.”

  “There’re no guarantees for anyone.”

  “I know that. It’s just …” Her expression crumpled, turned desperate. She crossed to me and grabbed my hands. “Please don’t give me a reason not to trust you, honey. I’d really like it if I didn’t have to worry so much.”

  My heart pricked at her pleading tone. I hadn’t lied to her, not exactly, but there were several things I hadn’t been entirely forthcoming about, either. George was one such issue. I’d been too afraid she would freak out and bring up moving away like she did the first time I’d been in danger.

  “You’re going to worry no matter what,” I said instead of promising what I couldn’t deliver.

  “True, but the appliances can only take so much scrubbing.” She held up the spray bottle still in her hand. We shared a smile.

  Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Cambria joined us. My mother’s eyes flickered to the hem on Cambria’s shorts—which was short enough that the lining on her pockets stuck out the bottom—and then to Cambria’s purple-streaked hair. Cambria had re-dyed it last night. My tub was stained plum to prove it.

  “Are we ready?” Cambria asked, oblivious to my mother’s scrutiny.

  “Let’s go,” Grandma called from the hall. Cambria and I turned to leave but my mother’s voice stopped me.

  “I almost forgot, George’s mother called for you the other day,” she said.

  I stiffened, careful to keep my face neutral. “Oh?”

  “She asked if you knew any way to get a hold of George. Said she’s had a hard time reaching him at that training camp he went to in South Carolina.”

  “No, I haven’t talked to him since he left,” I said. Which wasn’t a lie. I’d spoken to Fee and Grandma to check on him, but not to George directly.

  “Well, if you do, tell him to call his mother.”

  “I will,” I promised, hoping he was well enough to do so.

  “All right, kiddos. Let’s get going.” Grandma came up behind us. She’d applied a fresh layer of rose-colored lipstick. A direct contradiction to the sturdy, leather boots she’d pulled on over her pedal pushers.

  “What’s the deal with George?” Cambria asked once we were in the car. “I thought you guys broke up.”

  “We did.”

  “Then why is his momma calling you for his whereabouts?”

  “I’ve known George a long time. He’s the closest thing to family I’ve got, besides my mom and Grandma.”

  “Family,” Cambria repeated. Her brows shot up, one disappearing into her side-swept bangs.

  “Yes, family. Like brother and sister.” I emphasized the last part.

  “And I’m sure he feels exactly the same about you.”

  “He does,” I said, “although, he m
ay not realize it.”

  Cambria snorted and said something like “understatement” under her breath. I pretended not to hear. I wasn’t going to hash out George’s feelings for me when I wasn’t even sure what they were. He’d seemed a little friendlier toward Wes after the attack. And by “friendlier” I meant he hadn’t tried to use a handshake as a pretense for arm-wrestling him like the day they’d met.

  Grandma turned down the narrow back road that led to the gravel drive almost hidden by undergrowth and tree branches. I cracked the window, not enough to combat the AC on full blast, but enough to inhale the scent of sun-heated honeysuckle hanging in the air.

  Cambria made a noise like she was choking. “Can’t … breathe,” she said in a strangled voice, “too much humidity out there. Roll up the window.” I held the button until the glass slid up, sealing us in. “Aahh,” she said, relaxing against the seat with eyes closed. “How do you manage this? The humidity will kill you here before Werewolves even get the chance.”

  “Funny,” I said.

  “Your summers aren’t this hot back home?” Grandma asked.

  “Summer in Arizona is hot all right, just not so humid. I feel sticky.”

  “Have you heard anything else about your mom?” I asked. Cambria’s expression clouded. I watched her try to blink it away, shrug it off, but it clearly bothered her. “Sorry, I heard you on the phone earlier and—”

  “It’s fine,” she said, staring straight ahead. “I haven’t talked to her. The nurse at the center told me a little but only after I sent them ID. Apparently, she fell at work and then blew a .14 in the ambulance. Her boss said she could either do rehab and he’d hold her job, or he’d fire her right then. I’m still surprised she opted for rehab.”

  “I’m sorry, Cam. How long is she there for?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. A couple of months, I guess. They said she’d call when she could. I gave her your mom’s number. Hope that’s okay.”