by Ada Adams
“Easy, Dawn!” Sebastian called out, raising his other hand in defense.
I quickly released him. “Reflex. Sorry.” Although, in that moment, neither I nor my reflex felt very sorry.
“I saw you fall. Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yup, great,” I said, forcing a smile. “Dancing One, Dawn Zero.”
He looked as if he wasn’t buying my cheery mood, but decided against pushing the issue. Instead, he changed the subject. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I responded coolly. “It’s not like…” Once again, I didn’t know how to finish that sentence.
“It’s not like what?” Sebastian pressed.
“Nothing. Forget it.” I started to leave.
Brooke would just have to forgive the grass stain.
As I strode past him, Sebastian caught hold of my arm. “Wait. Let me explain.”
“You don’t owe me any explanations,” I said, refusing to turn around. “You took a pretty girl to a dance. End of story.” I plucked my arm out of his grasp, making a beeline for the exit.
No need to act jealous. You’re better than that, I reminded myself, smiling inwardly at the cool and collected tone with which I’d delivered my retort.
In a flash, Sebastian was in front of me, blocking my path. “I only did that to protect you.”
I intended to move past him and keep walking out of the inn, but his words made me stop. I didn’t have much experience with guys, but even I knew that this was a lame excuse.
“Thanks,” I scoffed. “I feel very protected. You’re a true hero. Congratulations.” I patted his shoulder mockingly. Mid-pat he reached for my hand, this time, pulling me into him.
“Dawn, I’m serious,” he whispered fiercely, bringing his face to mine. “You’re in danger.”
“Is that so?” I said, trying my best to ignore the sultry sensation of his breath against my lips. “And what is this supposed danger?”
“Listen to me,” he said, his voice a low, tense grumble. “Born vampires are disappearing without a trace. Someone’s hunting them.”
“What?” I was immediately plunged into an icy reality, abruptly awoken from the juvenile trance I had been trapped in. My earlier troubles now seemed so irrelevant. Even Sebastian’s close proximity lost some of its intoxicating appeal. “Born vampires are missing?” I asked, moving away from him. “Why haven’t I heard about this?”
“No one has. At least not yet. Lena’s twin sister, Sierra, was taken from her apartment in New York City last week. Their father pulled out all stops to find her, and learned about the Born kidnappings through some of his contacts,” Sebastian explained. “Somehow, he also found out that I was back in Angel Creek—hanging out with a Born no less—and sent Lena here to try to convince me to use you as bait in an effort to find her sister. I guess he didn’t feel like risking his own daughter and thought he could sacrifice you instead. I’m indebted to their family, so I have to help, but that doesn’t mean that you need to be involved.”
“Is that why you’ve been acting so weird today? Or at least, weirder than usual?”
My question drew a small smile from his lips, but he sobered quickly and his expression hardened again. “After I denied knowing any Born, Lena insisted that I take her to meet every vampire in town. I managed to distract her from the guardian ceremony, but I couldn’t keep her away from the dance.” He sighed. “That’s why I didn’t want her to get near you. I couldn’t let her catch on to the fact that you’re a Born.”
“Well, I am,” I said. “And I have to help.”
He ran his fingers through his hair, grimacing dejectedly. “I had a feeling you were going to say that.”
“What else would I say? If Born vampires are in trouble, then we have to do something!” My mind was racing. “I’ll get in touch with President Twitbr—”
“Who do you think is responsible for keeping the whole thing under wraps?” Sebastian said through gritted teeth. “Lena’s father already tried contacting him, but Twitbrook is denying the whole thing. Some president he turned out to be.”
“I’m sure that I can—”
“Dawn!” he growled. “Don’t you see how dangerous this is? Especially for you.”
I confronted his glare with one of my own. “Right now, it’s more dangerous for Lena’s sister and the other Born who are missing!”
“Is there anything I can say to convince you to stay out of this?” he pleaded, his voice taking on a softer tone.
I shook my head. “Of course not.”
“I didn’t think so,” he said miserably.
All of a sudden, the front door rattled.
“Bast? Are you in there?” Lena called from behind the thick wood.
I began to answer, but Sebastian placed his hand over my mouth. “Wait!” he whispered. “Let’s not do this here. I’m going to take Lena away from the dance now and we can all meet at my place in an hour.”
“But—” I mumbled from underneath his clasp.
“Just say yes,” he demanded as he removed his hand from my lips. “Please.”
I wasn’t going to let him off that easy. “Why wait?”
“I need to prepare Lena,” he explained, nodding toward the door. “I need to make sure that she’s not going to run off and tell her father about you the second she meets you.”
I didn’t respond.
“Dawn...” he coaxed.
Weighing my options, I relented. “Fine. You have thirty minutes.” I looked down at my watch. “We’ll be at your place at seven o’clock.”
“Thank you.” Relief flooded his face. “And Dawn…?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For…everything.”
His tone made me think that he wasn’t just talking about this date with Lena, but I didn’t have long to contemplate the thought. I was completely distracted by the fact that his arms had somehow found their way around my waist and were gently pulling me to him. My own body responded with a slight tremble, spilling over with tension as his mouth slowly sought mine.
“I’ve wanted to do this all day,” he murmured huskily. His lips inched closer as I lifted mine to meet them, but then he pulled back and narrowed his eyes. “By the way, dancing with Ethan…not a good idea,” he cautioned, shooting me a teasing grin. Despite the utterly sincere smile, a dangerous spark ignited in his eyes when he said Ethan’s name. “The way he looks at you—”
“I’ll dance with whomever I please,” I retorted, matching his smirk. “You shouldn’t worry about me. It’s not like—” I stopped myself from finishing that sentence for the second time today.
And, for the second time today, he asked, “It’s not like what?”
It’s not like we’re a couple, I wanted to say, but I couldn’t even bring myself to utter the c-word.
Instead, I said, “I’m a big girl. I can make my own decisions about my dance partners.”
He raised his arms in defense. “All I’m saying is that the guy let you trip and fall. I worry about you dancing in someone else’s arms.”
I shrugged. “I’m never safe while dancing. Maybe if they had let me play with weapons in dance class, I would have been more interested in taking lessons, but I find it hard to relax to the beat of the music. Or, you know, chill out in general.”
This made him chuckle. “We’ll just have to practice chilling out, then.” With a quick step, he eliminated the distance between us, eyeing me ravenously. I closed my eyes in anticipation of his kiss, but we both jumped back at the sound of Lena’s voice.
“Baaaast?” The door rattling was becoming more insistent.
“That lock won’t hold for much longer,” he groaned, pulling away. “I should go.” Cold emptiness filled the space where he had been. “Promise that you won’t come until seven?” he implored. “Please
?” he added when I hesitated.
I bit my lip, nodding reluctantly.
“Thank you.” He let out a relieved sigh. “And…Dawn?”
“Yes?”
“Be careful.”
“Be careful dancing?”
He smiled. “The way you dance, that wouldn’t be bad advice.” Then he lost the smile and his cool eyes blazed with a strange current I’d never seen. “Be careful…always.”
With that warning, he rushed off after Lena.
The thirty-minute wait for our meeting was excruciatingly painful. I wanted nothing more than to spring into action. Right away. I rejoined Ethan and the rest of the group at the party, but my mind was far away, floating on a completely different plane of existence.
On edge couldn’t even begin to describe how I felt. No matter how hard I tried to be sociable—or to at least appear somewhat normal—my only thoughts were regarding the mysterious disappearances of the Born. I desperately wanted to ditch the party and dive headfirst into the mission. Every second spent at the dance was a second that could have been spent searching for Lena’s sister.
Finally, after an interminable twenty minutes, I pulled the team away. The dance floor had just begun to fill up, and Hunter seemed relieved to be getting away from the commotion. Brooke, on the other hand, was reluctant to leave.
“Nick Milliot was about to ask me to dance!” she cried.
Seth groaned. “Nick Milliot is an idiot.”
Brooke’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Yes, but he’s a popular idiot. Which is one thing you know nothing about.”
I interrupted before another fight between the hostile couple could break out, quickly explaining everything Sebastian had told me about the Born situation and Lena’s sister.
Which, I suddenly realized, wasn’t much at all.
Right before we left the park, Ethan caught up to us. “Where are you going?” he asked, looking at the group, then eyeing me with a teasing grin. “You owe me at least one more dance.”
I returned his smile. “Rain check?” I offered, hoping that he wouldn’t press for more information. The last thing I wanted was to involve a human in a potentially dangerous situation. Even if that human was as strong and as skilled as Ethan.
“Guardian business?” he guessed, sensing my hesitation.
I nodded apologetically.
“If you need help, let me know. I’m here for you guys.”
“Thanks,” I said, knowing that his offer was sincere. Ethan had fought alongside us before, but my role as a guardian was to keep the humans in Angel Creek out of harm’s way. Bringing Ethan on wild chase after Lena’s sister’s abductors wouldn’t go over well with Mayor Rivers and the other nine hundred residents in town.
“Good luck.” Ethan’s smile grew wider, but his hazel eyes were full of melancholy. “I’m going back to Shady Pines to be with my mom. She’s taken a turn for the worse. Physically she’s fine, but mentally…” He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Taking a deep breath, he said, “The doctor said it would be good for me to stay with her for a while. Apparently, having me around may help bring her out of the state she’s in.”
With that bit of unnerving news, and a pledge that we would share another dance in the near future—whether Sebastian liked it or not—Ethan and I parted ways.
A short while later, Brooke, Sophie, Hunter, Seth, and I found ourselves in front of Sebastian’s mansion in the woods. The change in seasons had altered the look of the solitary structure. Trees sporting bright yellow, red, and orange leaves surrounded the large home, their warm color a stark contrast to the building’s bright white exterior. Dry foliage crumbled underneath our feet as we made our way along the driveway and up the concrete steps to the door. I knocked and waited for a response. Nothing. Another knock. No answer. Brooke let out an impatient groan, pushed past me, and pounded her fists against the door. Loud banging echoed through the quiet forest, but Sebastian was nowhere to be seen.
“Are you sure he’s home?” Sophie asked.
“No. I’m not,” I said with a sinking feeling in my stomach.
Eager to get inside and hopeful to prove my nagging suspicions wrong, I began examining the exterior of the house for a way in. One of the windows on the top floor was slightly ajar. Before the others knew it, I had climbed the large oak tree adjacent to the side of the house. To get inside, all I had to do was leap six feet or so, catch the second-floor window ledge, and pull myself up through the small opening. Easy. Or so I hoped. If I fell, there was a sharp, spiky iron fence that I would have to worry about.
Just as I was about to take flight, Hunter called out from below, “Uhh, Dawn? Maybe you should try this first.” He waved around a small silver key in his hand. “The welcome mat never fails.” He grinned as I climbed down and grabbed the key from his hand.
Once inside, my fears were confirmed. The house was deserted. I flew through each room, frantically searching for clues that could point to Sebastian’s whereabouts. Emptiness greeted me in every dark corner, quietly mocking my desolation.
As I passed through the elegantly decorated kitchen, a note pinned to the slick black door of the fridge caught my attention.
Dawn,
I couldn’t bring myself to risk your life.
I’m sorry.
Sebastian
I slammed my fist into the fridge. The powerful blow formed an indentation in the metal, causing the rest of the group to jump to attention.
Sophie peeked over my shoulder, scanning the note. “You’re angry that he left with Lena, aren’t you?”
“I’m angry that he left with Lena—on a mission,” I corrected her. “I’m angry that I have no idea where they’ve gone or what’s going on. Most of all, I’m angry that he thinks I need to be protected. When I get my hands on him, he’ll be the one in need of protection.”
“So what now?” Seth asked.
I buried my head in my hands, fighting the urge to tear the note to pieces. “We’ll have to do this on our own,” I told him. “Sebastian said that President Twitbrook was covering up the disappearances, so we should probably start there.”
“How exactly are you going to get your hands on information that the vampire president of the United States wants to keep hidden?” Hunter asked slowly.
I clenched my fists, my body vibrating from the surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins. “By whatever means necessary.”
Brooke giggled. “You’re starting to sound like a spy.”
I glanced over at Sebastian’s note again, battling the crushing sensation of betrayal bubbling up inside me.
Brooke followed my gaze. “You know, it’s actually kind of romantic.” She turned to the rest of the group. “Isn’t it, guys?”
“I’m not looking for romance, Brooke,” I said flatly. “Vampires around the country are vanishing and it seems that our president isn’t doing anything about it. We need to take matters into our own hands. With or without Sebastian.”
“Where do you suggest we start?” Sophie asked.
“I’ll try my luck with Twitbrook,” I decided. “Who knows, maybe he’ll relent when he finds out that we know something.”
“If that doesn’t work?”
“Then I’ll have to find a way to use myself as bait. They want a Born, right? I’ll give them a Born with a side of butt-kicking.”
“I think that kind of talk may be why Sebastian didn’t want you to be involved,” Sophie whispered.
I shrugged. “Well, now I’m involved.”
Hunter tapped me on the arm. “Can we even be sure that Sebastian is telling the truth?”
Brooke nodded. “Yeah, maybe he made up the whole thing so that he and Lena could run off on some sexy tryst.”
“Guys! Sebastian is our friend!” Sophie cried. “He wouldn’t lie about something like this. He cares about Dawn and wants to protect her.”
Cares. Another c-word that I wasn’t sure how I felt about.
“I guess we’ll just have
to find him and ask,” I said. That is, if he survives my wrath. “Let’s go,” I ordered, giving the note one final glance.
We began making our way toward the front door when one of the large living room windows exploded, showering us with glass. Brooke let out a piercing scream as sharp debris engulfed us. A horde of enormous wolf-like creatures poured in through the opening.
“Ohmigod! What are those?” Brooke screamed as she dove behind the couch.
“I don’t know!” I shot back, struggling to understand the scene unfolding in front of me. “Werewolves?” It was more a question than an answer. In the history of weres, their species had never reached over ten inches tall. They were small, fragile beings. Most importantly, they were peaceful. The large beasts charging toward our group resembled werewolves, but were a far cry from small, fragile, or peaceful.
I placed myself between the mutant creatures and the team. The wolves’ beastly eyes shone like dark red embers as they snarled hungrily, snapping their jaws at us. I counted only four, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up for in size.
“Run to the kitchen and get something you can use as a weapon! The bigger the better!” I yelled as one of the massive beasts lunged at me. I extended my leg, swiping its jaw with the ball of my foot. The hit sent it flying across the room and it screeched in agony as its body slammed onto the coffee table. The thick glass frame broke under the weight of the impact, eliciting a pained roar from the creature. Unable to hold its were-form, it transformed into a bruised, bloodied man.
Seeing their pack member in pain, the remaining werewolves let out a bloodcurdling howl. Two of them sprinted after the team, while the biggest of the group pounced on me. Feral desire for blood sparked in its wild eyes as its sharp fangs sank into my left shoulder. I stifled a cry, biting down on my lip in an attempt to deflect the excruciating shock that raced through my body. Pounding the side of the werewolf’s head with my right arm, I jerked back, trying to free my shoulder from his jaw, but that only seemed to increase the strength of its bite. Another jolt of pain coursed through me as I felt its teeth crush down on my clavicle. The chilling sound of bone grinding on bone rang in my ears. The room began to spin.