“Not in the air!” I yell. “Put us down!”
He doesn’t listen and swings the truck to the left. Megan grips me again.
The truck lurches to the right as the angel swings the truck back. Without any warning, he whips the truck through the air.
The rock comes inches away from the front bumper as the truck is thrown high up into the air, and Eli lets go of the tailgate.
Chapter Fifty
Fun and Games
The truck flies high. I catch a whiff of lavender as Megan’s hair tangles in my face. We aren’t spinning through the air. Instead, the truck is holding steady.
“Did you slap me again?” I demand. “You’ve got to stop that!”
Megan jerks and lets go of me. She pushes back and glances out where the windshield used to be.
“Well, quit leaving me like that,” she says. “Where do you go?”
“I don’t know.”
I brush her hair off my face that’s blowing from the wind coming in the broken window.
She sees me push her hair away, flushes bright red, and wiggles back to her seat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t... I mean...” She stops talking.
Now my face feels like it’s on fire. I look out the window in an attempt to hide my embarrassment. I wasn’t brushing her hair away because I didn’t like it. I have a weird sense of emptiness now that she’s gone.
“Look at that!” I shout.
An angel who has dark brown hair and eyes is in front of us, carrying the truck to the road. His sword is hanging off a belt at his waist.
I twist back to look behind us. Eli is flying behind, holding the back end of the truck. He glances at me, and his handsome face lights up into a wide grin while he winks.
Megan leans out her window. “There’s two more out fighting the demons still!”
Above us, a battle rages, and it’s unclear who’s going to win. That doesn’t matter right now. It should. But peace is here.
I haven’t felt this much peace since before Mom died. The hurt and pain I live with is gone, and I have hope that we are going to be okay. It’s a strange feeling, but one that I want to cling to.
All too soon the road is beneath us, and the angels set us gently down on the dirt road. The springs in the truck squeak when the weight is shifted to the tires. The angel in the front dashes off to join the fight. I don’t have time to form my thanks.
Eli strides to the driver’s window. I try to roll down the window and remember that the glass is gone.
“Th…thank you, sir,” I stammer.
“Eli,” the angel grins. His bright blue eyes twinkle and then sober. “Get home. The battle will subside when you are out of their lair. Megan, you will be safe. God will always take care of you.”
She nods, tears rising in her eyes, as if Eli spoke to her fears.
I put the truck in gear and push down the gas. Nothing happens.
Crap!
The last thing we need now is a broken-down pickup. I push again on the gas but stop with a grin.
The engine isn’t running. The keys are still in the ignition, but the engine is off. Eli sees my reaction and grins.
“We thought we’d save gas,” he explains.
I have to laugh despite the situation. The truck sputters before turning on. I groan as I survey it.
All the windows are completely gone, except for the small beads of glass that lay throughout the cab. The hood is smashed in various places, and I can see dents on the ceiling where the cab was destroyed. I have no doubt that the sides look just as bad.
Forget the demons. Ryan’s going to kill me. How am I ever going to explain this to him?
I hesitate with my hands on the gearshift and look at Eli, who is studying me intently.
“The truck. Ryan’s going to notice.”
“You think?” Eli drawls with sarcasm that’s softened with a trace of humor. “You did drive off a mountain.”
“I didn’t do it on purpose!” I protest. “That demon grabbed the steering wheel!”
Eliezer slaps the side of the pickup with his hand.
“For the King,” he says and shoots up into the air as he draws his glowing sword from his belt. There’s a cry from the demons when he races toward them.
We watch him soars through the air.
“Wow!” Megan breathes.
I glance at her. “No kidding. Oh, man... Look!”
“What?”
I point to the truck. It is back into its condition before we were attacked. There’s the same scratch on the dash by the radio. Glass returned to the windows, and the cracks in the windshield are gone.
Megan smiles. “That’s a handy trick.”
I put the truck into first gear but don’t push on the gas.
Megan glances over at me. “Well, aren’t we going?”
“Really?” I sputter. “After all that happened, I’m going to have to tell you again?”
“Tell me what?”
“Megan!” I yell. “Put your seatbelt on!”
She gives me a dirty look. “You don’t have to yell. You could’ve just asked nicely.”
I ignore her as she pulls the belt across her. There’s a click of her buckle and then silence.
“Okay, Mom,” Megan says sarcastically. “You can go now.”
I resist the urge to say something biting back at her. Instead, I take one last look at the sky. Eli backs up from the fight, looks at us, and points down the road.
The meaning is clear. Get going. Get out of here. There’s nothing you can do.
I don’t argue. I want nothing to do with their battle. And I don’t have anything to contribute. I push the gear shift into first and press the gas pedal.
We start down the hill at a speed I know Megan thinks is too fast due to the way she clutches the door handle.
We make it down the hill. The road straightens out as it leads through the endless pine trees. I press on the gas more, eager to be gone and away from Florence.
I am never going back. I don’t want anything to do with vampires or demons. I don’t want to see them, talk to them, or help them. I’m done.
Megan doesn’t say anything as we whip through the corners and turns. She grunts a few times when the tires skid on the gravel or she’s tossed against the side of the truck, but she never protests.
As we reach the pavement, the first sign of civilization, I almost want to laugh. A few short hours ago, I was hesitant to drive the truck past second gear. Now I feel like I could take on anything with the beast.
I don’t slow down until we reach the driveway. I forego my turn signal, which would infuriate Aunt Kate.
I see nothing. No glowing angels with bright swords. I feel a strange sense of disappointment. On the good side, I don’t see any demons or vampires. The house looks quite normal.
It’s oddly disturbing.
Ryan and Aunt Kate aren’t back, either, so I don’t have to come up with any lies about where I went.
I pass Megan’s car and pull into Ryan’s parking spot. I let it idle for a minute before turning it off and unbuckling my seatbelt. I wait for Megan to get out. She doesn’t move. She just keeps staring at the house in front of us. I face her with one arm on the steering wheel.
She turns to me. For the first time, I can’t read her expression, and that frustrates me. Her dark-blue eyes are larger than usual. She doesn’t smile or glare at me. She just stares at me for long enough to make me feel uncomfortable. Finally she speaks.
“And you say my friends are jerks.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Escape
Rob waited on the crest of a hill past Florence for Henry and Liam to join him. They stopped beside him and scanned the skies.
“Is it over?” Henry asked shortly.
Rob nodded. “Yes. The demons pursued them for a while and then gave up the fight once the angels showed up and the humans fled.”
Henry was quiet for a minute. Rob shifted his feet. He knew he had disobeyed orders. He
’d take his punishment. It was worth it to save Nic and Megan. But he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Was it convincing? Did it look like he had escaped and we were doing our best to get him back?” Henry turned to Liam.
Liam slapped Rob on the back. “Of course it did, thanks to this idiot!” He laughed, his words coming between the bursts of amusement. “Did you see that frantic way he pulled those poor humans through the woods? Like he thought he could help those two weaklings escape us?”
Henry joined in the laughter until Rob whipped around to study them.
“What are you talking about?” Rob demanded, not sharing in one bit of their glee. “You were going to change him.”
“Yes, we were.” Henry sobered. “Then Blaise showed up. There’s no way we’re letting Blaise get his claws into him. We need Nic so we can set him against the demons and free us from their tyranny.”
Liam stopped laughing. “We were under orders to hand him over when you burst out of the house with the two humans.”
Henry seized Rob by his shirt, and pulled him close. “And now you will change Nic into a vampire without delay.”
He lifted Rob in the air and shook him. Rob felt his head snap back and forth, but he didn’t fight back. He was lucky to get off that easy.
Henry threw him to the ground in disgust. “No more excuses. No more escapes. Get it done, Rob.”
Rob made no effort to get up. Liam spat in his direction, and then they spun around and left Rob in his stunned state. He slowly got up and dusted himself off.
He knew what he had to do. He didn’t like it one bit, but at least Henry and Liam hadn’t said anything about Megan. Maybe he could still save her.
As for Nic, well, he was doomed the second he was born. There was nothing to do for him. Rob hated what he had to do, but he didn’t have any other choice, just like when he was forced to make the same promise so many years ago.
Rob headed toward Grangeville, plotting how to turn Nic into a vampire.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Fake Control
I can’t shake this feeling. Even as I watch Megan pull away, all I can think about it is that I almost died. But then four angels came out of nowhere to save us.
Why this time? Why didn’t they fight when Mom died? Or when Mr. Peterson shot everyone? And why can’t I see the angels now?
Megan didn’t stay long after we get to the house. Neither of us wanted her to run into Aunt Kate and Ryan and have to lie about what we’ve been doing all day.
The quiet is a little disturbing. I take a shower and clean the blood off my arm. It doesn’t wash away the thought that I was nearly gone for good.
I quickly text Megan.
You okay? Did you make it home alright?
I wait a few seconds for the reply.
Yep. I’m here.
I raid the kitchen for food, even though it’s close to dinner time. Munching on some chips, I walk out onto the deck and flop down on a chair in the sun while I study Grangeville, happy to see it for once.
That was stupid. I should never have gone up there.
And now I am going to forget everything about that place. I study the view in front of me and remember what Ryan said. To my left, the road to Boise passes Hells Canyon, the deepest canyon in the United States, where the Snake River flows under the shadow of the Seven Devils Mountains.
The Camas Prairie is in front of me. It was named after a plant with bulbs that the Nez Perce used to eat. Ryan said that when the land was wild, the prairies looked like a lake when they bloomed. I try to imagine the scene with wooly mammoths roaming through the blue flowers, but I can’t.
The road to Montana is on the right through the mountains. The wilderness is full of hot springs, rivers, and hiking trails. According to Ryan, there was also an internment camp along the road where prisoners of war were kept. The prisoners were so terrified of bears, mountain lions, and wolves that there was no need of fences to keep them there.
I want to explore it all.
The trees rustle to my right. I spill my chips. Rob steps out from the trees and comes up to the deck, staying in the shadows.
“We need to talk,” he says. His face is serious.
I don’t want to talk about it with him. I pick up my chips and decide to ask my questions.
“Why are you here? Aren’t you afraid of angels?” I sit back on the chair.
Rob peers through the railings. “God knows I am not going to hurt you. You know that.”
“God? You believe in God?”
“You don’t?” Rob places his hands on the railings. “After what you saw this afternoon, belief in God would be a logical conclusion.”
“So after you became a vampire, that’s when you decided that God existed?” I mock.
Rob shakes his head. His amber eyes fill with sadness. “No,” he says softly. “I believed in God long before I became a vampire. Now I don’t know what He thinks of me.”
I try to think of something to say. I’ve never considered this. I was told that God is love and that He forgives, and He welcomes everyone with joy.
But what does He think of a vampire, someone who chose to give up his soul and live outside God’s laws? Is a vampire an enemy of God forever, or can they co-exist as immortal beings together?
“Well, you chose it,” I snap.
“No, I didn’t,” Rob snaps back.
“Sorry,” I say. “I didn’t know.”
“Obviously,” he drawls. He pulls himself out of his memories. “But theology is not what I wanted to talk about. Nic, you have such potential for greatness. You have no idea what you can do.”
I think of Dad. His blood flows in my veins. I am not going to do anything like him.
“You don’t know who I am,” I protest.
“Wrong, Nic.” Rob shakes his head. “We know your past. We know what your father did and how countless more of his ancestors did similar things. You can’t hide, Nic. Your father’s actions are in your blood, just as it is in his blood. It’s only a matter of time before you follow in his footsteps.”
I see the cold metal of a gun.
Before I remember more, I jump to my feet, hop over the railing, and stride up to Rob.
“I’m not like him.” I can’t stop the rising anger, although I know I should.
“Oh, come on,” Rob scoffs. “You even look like him. But we can help you.”
“How do you know this?” I challenge.
“We have our ways.”
“You never answer my questions.” The anger is getting stronger. I struggle to keep my tone steady and calm. “I don’t need help.”
Rob raises his eyebrows. “One day you won’t be able to control that anger. Then what will happen to your aunt?”
I smack him in the chest and shove him back. He takes a few steps back while he raises his hands in surrender.
“Don’t bring her into this,” I say through clenched teeth.
“You think you can control what boils within you? That’s what your father thought. And look at what he did!”
“I’m different!” I yell.
“Think you can protect your aunt?” Rob doesn’t let up.
I refuse to answer.
“Can you protect her from yourself?”
My vision swirls with red and white, only this time I’m not afraid of it. I welcome it. I want it to wash over me and fill my senses.
“You can’t control it, Nic.” Rob looks resigned. “You’ve been lucky so far, but at some point in your life, it will take over completely, and you will be lost forever.”
Red and white mix together to make that awful shade of pink. I force myself to speak, to try to act normal.
“It. Won’t. Happen.” The words come out forced and unnatural.
“A few more seconds, and you would have pulled that trigger and killed Brandon. Not that he would’ve been missed. Was there anyone in that school he didn’t torment? Even you received your share of abuse from him.”
> I shake my head. Memories of being shoved, punched, and bullied return like they were only yesterday. Brandon was a menace. Red clouds my sight. Maybe I should’ve pulled the trigger.
“It sure didn’t take much to get that gun in your hand, did it?” Rob asks.
“You don’t understand. You weren’t there. Mr. Peterson could’ve shot me if I resisted.”
“Perhaps. But once the gun was in your hand, you could have shot Mr. Peterson. And yet you didn’t. You stayed focused on the person you hated most.” Rob leans closer. “Mr. Peterson didn’t have to convince you. He just had to teach you how to do it.”
I yell and catapult toward him. I’m going to rip his lying tongue from his mouth to teach him a lesson. I grab him by his shirt with one hand and pound his face with my free hand. His head snaps back and forth as I pour out my anger.
He doesn’t fight back, but he doesn’t act like it’s hurting him. I switch my attack to his stomach. He groans but never once tries to stop me. I knock him to the ground and use my feet to kick him until I can’t catch my breath. Backing up, the red and white is gone from my eyes, and I stare in horror at what I have done.
Rob stays on the ground, panting, like I’ve hurt him. He pushes himself back to his feet while he regards me with disappointment.
“It took me very little to bring you to this point.” He shakes his head. “The force you attacked me with would have destroyed a human. What would you do with a knife? A gun?”
I shake my head, wanting desperately to deny what happened, but there’s no way I can.
“Rob, I’m sorry. I…”
“You’re a danger to everyone around you,” Rob interrupts. “You can’t control the blackness, and you have to stop fooling yourself. What if you did that to Aunt Kate or Ryan? Or Megan?”
I nod, too exhausted to argue anymore. The thought of hurting anyone makes me want to throw up. I have to get away from everyone I love.
“We can help, Nic,” Rob continues. “Henry knows what to do. You could come back and live with them after you’ve learned how to control it. All you have to do is promise to do what Henry says, and then he can tell you how to fight back this beast.”
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