“He’s pissed at me.”
“Well that’s obvious. What for?” She opened the car door and climbed inside. After one last look in Chance’s direction, I did the same.
“For not bending over backward to please him, I guess.”
“Well,” she paused to start the car, “maybe you should.”
“Why should I?”
“Look at what he’s done for you, Ava. Maybe you owe him?”
“With my life?” Anger was fueling my words—and raising my voice.
“What?” It was Kayla who was surprised now.
I had no intentions of telling her about the conversation Chance and I had, but I had opened my big mouth and inserted my even bigger foot, so I had no choice. “Yeah,” I finally said. “He wants me to give up trying to be human again and stay a vampire.”
“Why would he want you to do that?!”
“Because that way he and I could be together.” I stared out the window of her mom’s car, my mind recalling that conversation.
“You have got to be kidding me.” She put the car in gear and headed off school campus. I searched for Chance’s truck as we pulled through the parking lot, but he had already gone.
“Wish I was. But he’s serious. He wants me to stay a vampire. He said that he can’t go back, but I can go forward. He’s leaving it up to me to decide if the two of us have a future together.”
“Oh wow,” she said, her voice soft. I felt the exact same shock when I first heard it, too. “That is so romantic!” Okay, that I didn’t feel, too. Kayla was practically gushing, her words spilling over the car steering wheel like cheesy ooze.
“Romantic?! Are you brain dead, Kayla? It’s ridiculous is what it is. I don’t want to be a vampire. I wanna be human. All human.” A few months ago, that answer was finite. Now, I wasn’t as certain.
“Hmm.” Kayla’s giddiness had evaporated, her eyes swirling with contemplation.
“What?” I asked as we sped through town.
“That didn’t sound very convincing.” I had gotten so used to Kayla’s erratic, high-speed driving that I didn’t even notice we were already on the street to her house. “Maybe you should seriously think about it, Ava. I mean, really think about it.” She pulled the car into the driveway, killed the engine and hopped out, leaving me to wonder if maybe she was right.
OLD ENEMIES
As I climbed out of the car and headed up the porch steps, I kept thinking over and over what Kayla had said, wondering if maybe I wasn’t as certain about fighting for my humanity as I had once been. Did I want to lose Chance forever? Was I ready to say goodbye to him? Was I ready to say goodbye to being human again? The pressure of impossible decisions was giving me a major headache, so instead of going inside and having to listen to more questions and comments about what I should and shouldn’t do, I decided to take a walk to clear my head. I dropped my backpack onto the white rocking chair by the door and bounded across the yard for the woods behind the house.
I barely made it into the thicket of trees when the all-too-familiar scent of death flooded my senses. It felt like déjà vu all over again. I remembered having to kill a vampire in the woods behind school only a few short months ago, just before I attacked my best friend and nearly killed her. Now, it looked as though history was going to repeat itself.
I charged off into the woods after the scent, my stomach turning at the intense smell. This one was an old vampire, I could tell, the odor vaguely familiar. I had learned, over time, the difference in the scents: Anything close to the inside of a trashcan meant a younger vampire; if it smelled as though something had been lying in rot for decades, then a much older vampire was nearby. And my nose was doing somersaults at the rotting flesh I smelled now.
I cut through trees and brambles, Kayla’s house drawing smaller and smaller behind me. I knew she’d be mad if Kayla discovered me missing, but with no recent additions to my Kill Count, I was getting desperate. Not that I enjoyed killing vampires. I just enjoyed being human, and I desperately wanted that life back. Well, maybe. Ugh. Unfortunately, today wasn’t going to get me any closer. I quickly made it to the source of the decay, and my stomach turned even more.
Sebastian.
“What are you doing here?” I couldn’t stand the smell of him, let alone the sight. He was lurking in the forest like the predator he was, just waiting for some innocent creature to come strolling along so he could suck the life out of it. I had never wanted to tear him to pieces more.
“Nice to see you, too, old friend.”
“We’re so far from friends,” I snapped, crossing my arms. “What are you doing trolling the woods? Shopping for dinner?”
“I prefer my meals on two legs, thank you.” A chilling smile spread across his face. I wanted to rip it off.
“You’re disgusting.”
“Yes, well, we can’t all be as socially acceptable as you, can we, hybrid?”
“Just tell me what it is you want.” I was so tired of his games. I knew he was there for a reason, something that he wanted or needed. The faster I found out what it was, the faster I could get away from him.
“Merely making sure you’re not running around killing what’s left of my family.”
“Family? That’s what you call them?” I hadn’t thought vampires considered members of their coven as family, so I was a bit surprised.
“Of course,” he said, the words slithering from his dead lips. “Just as your little vampire-hunting friends are your family.” He moved toward me. “Tell me, Ava. How is that going, being so close to those who would kill you if they had to?”
“They’re my friends. They would never do that.” Even though I didn’t believe a word he said, a tiny grain of concern popped into my head. The thought of Erik or Kayla possibly turning on me one day had always been present. My heart knew they wouldn’t, but my brain had doubts.
“Yes. Keep telling yourself that.” Another creepy smile. “In the meantime, try to stay away from my friends and family, won’t you?”
“Don’t count on it.” I could feel the vampire inside me itching to get out, to attack Sebastian and fight to the death. I knew that death would be mine, so I fought hard against the urge.
“I only count on myself.”
“How pathetic.” A quick flash and he was on me, his cold, dead hands around my neck, his venomous fangs snarling in my face.
“Watch your tongue, little girl. Or I will tear it from your throat.” His eyes were wild, insane with rage. I got to him. And I liked it.
“Get your nasty hands off me.” I had no chance of winning this fight, but that didn’t mean I was going down easy. Pinning me against a large oak, Sebastian squeezed tighter around my throat. Pinpoints of light began tickling the edges of my vision. I was going to black out. And he was going to kill me.
Something hit us—well, him—hard, and we all went crashing to the ground. I inhaled deeply, my lungs expanding with the weight of the air. Ragged coughs ripped my raw throat. My eyes watered, and I could barely swallow. I opened my eyes, the tiny spots of light from earlier slowly fading away. I expected to see Sebastian clawing his way back to me to finish the job, but he was gone. Or at least I thought he was. I scanned the area and found him, struggling with someone about fifty yards away. The two of them spun around the forest floor like a tornado, shredding the brush with ease, making the ground rumble with their power. I got to my feet, a bit dizzy. I couldn’t make out who was fighting Sebastian, who had come to save me, but judging by the way the two seemed matched in strength, it had to be Aldric. I smiled, never happier to see him than in that moment. A few more spins and more grunting, and Aldric’s body flew through the air, crashing into a few small trees, snapping them in half. I flashed over to him when I saw he wasn’t moving, and nearly came unglued. It wasn’t Aldric.
“Chance!” I crouched down beside him, prayin
g he was still alive. Well, as alive as a vampire could be. His chest was moving, so I knew he wasn’t dead. My concern quickly melded into fiery rage.
“You son of a bitch!” I leapt at Sebastian, my fangs ripping from my gums, ready to sink into his rotted flesh. Sebastian must’ve been expecting this, because he maneuvered around my charge, and I slammed into the tree behind him. I spun around, and he was in my face.
“Easy, Ava,” he said, his fangs exposed too. “I don’t want to kill you today.”
“Wish I could say the same.” I leapt at him again, my hands gripping his throat this time. Now it was the two of us twirling around like a pair of dead ballroom dancers. I held my own for a few seconds before Sebastian pulled me off and tossed me aside. I hit the ground hard, a loud crack ringing in my ears. I had no clue what the sound was…until I tried to get up. A hot fire- poker of pain shot up my side. Broken rib. Great.
“Stay down.” Sebastian’s voice filled my head.
“Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?” I had to choke out the words around the pain, which was growing more and more intense. I think more than just one rib was broken.
“What makes you think I want to kill you?”
“Because I’m not stupid.” I was finally able to sit up, though I wished I hadn’t. The pain seemed to be worse now, my lungs slamming against the shattered bones of my ribcage. I couldn’t help but think how bad it would be if I was fully human, without the benefit of super strength.
“No, you’re not,” Sebastian said, his large frame lurking over me. “But you are mistaken. I have no intention of killing you. Not yet.” His gangly fingers shot out toward me, and though everything inside of me was screaming for me not to, I took his hand and stood up.
“Why not?” I was a glutton for punishment.
“Such an odd question.” Surprise littered his words. “Most people would be thankful.”
“I’m not most people.” I wrapped an arm around my chest, trying to stave off some of the throbbing in my ribs. With each breath, I could feel the bones shifting around my bruised lungs.
“Those should heal in a day or so.” He nodded to my clutched chest, his concern making my skin crawl.
“Don’t try being human now,” I said. “You suck at it.”
“Indeed, I do.” He turned and walked away from me. As he did, I noticed Chance sitting in the grass behind him, his eyes glazed over.
“What’s wrong with him?” I asked.
“He’s fine,” Sebastian said, looking at Chance. “Just a bit of shell shock.”
“But…he’s a vampire.”
“Yes, he is, isn’t he?” I couldn’t help but notice the pride hidden behind Sebastian’s words, like he couldn’t be happier that Chance was now one of his kind, one of his family. “But that doesn’t mean he can’t feel pain.”
I swallowed the bile threatening to leave my stomach. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I must say that I am. It feels good to make you experience a tiny bit of the pain I have.”
“What pain?” I fought back a cough. “I haven’t hurt you.”
“You think that the loss I have experienced at your hands isn’t painful?” His voice was different, almost sad. He must’ve been an actor in his first life.
“I didn’t think you cared about anything other than yourself?”
He smiled at me, sending a chill down my back. “There is a lifetime of things you do not know about, Ava.” I couldn’t help but think that he wasn’t just talking about himself, that somehow he knew things about me I had yet to discover. I wanted to press him for information, to see if he would be more forthcoming than Aldric and Chance had ever been, but I didn’t have time; Chance jumped up and tried to lunge at Sebastian again.
“Stop!” My lungs burned as I forced out the word. I hoped Sebastian was right, that my ribs would heal fast, because the constant, breathtaking throbs were really starting to grate my nerves. Chance turned toward me, his eyes glowing, his face filled with rage.
“Listen to her, little boy.” Sebastian wasn’t helping the situation.
“Chance, don’t,” I pleaded. “He’s not worth it.”
“He killed my mother.” Chance’s words were short, forced out through clenched teeth. His fangs were practically pulsating, he was so hungry for the kill. His hands were curled into fists at his sides, his entire body tense with electricity. He was like a live wire, ready to strike.
“You can’t do this. Not now. Not yet.” I knew he wanted to kill Sebastian—I did, too—but he wasn’t ready. He wasn’t strong enough. One day, he would be; of that, I had no doubt. I only hoped I was around to see it. “Let it go, please.”
“I can’t.” He kept looking from me to Sebastian, fury controlling his emotions. I needed to do something fast, or he would die today.
As the reigning Queen of Word Vomit, I simply had to part my lips for “we need him” to come falling out. Both Chance and Sebastian looked at me, wide-eyed with shock by what I had said. And they weren’t alone; I couldn’t believe those words came from me, either. We need him? Really? What the hell did that even mean?
“What?” Chance asked.
More words I had no control over. “Yes, we need him. To be there. In Boston. We need him just in case—”
“You are not serious?” Chance closed the gap between us, stopping directly in front of me. “Ava, come on. You want him to go with us? Why?”
Having blurted out the unthinkable already, I figured I should just go with it. “I told you, Chance. If something bad happens, we need someone there who can help.”
“If you take his ass along, something bad will definitely happen.” Chance glared over his shoulder at Sebastian, who of course was smiling.
“Don’t think this changes anything,” I said to Sebastian. “I still can’t stand you.”
“As it should be,” he said, that smile still plastered on his face. “Now tell me, what could I possibly do to help you? Not that I have agreed to, mind you. But curiosity has always been one of my strongest weaknesses.”
“See?” Chance gestured over his shoulder to Sebastian’s bad attitude, but he kept his eyes on me. “He’s a jerk. He’ll just screw things up.”
“No, he won’t. He’s gonna do what we need him to do.”
“Am I?” Sebastian crossed the newly made clearing to us with a holier-than-thou air about him. His smug demeanor was infuriating.
“You are.” I stood my ground. “Because you want something from me, I know it.” A slight lift of his eyebrows; I hit a nerve. “You can deny it all you want, but there’s some reason you haven’t killed me yet. So if you want whatever it is, you’ll do what I need you to.”
Several moments passed before Sebastian spoke, a moment when I thought he may just call my bluff and actually kill me this time. “Very perceptive, Ava,” he finally said, his voice calm. “It seems I didn’t give you proper credit.”
I let pent-up air slowly leak from my bruised lungs. “So you’ll help us?”
“However I can.”
“You’re not buying this, are you?” Chance spouted.
“Listen,” I whispered, taking his hands in mine and turning us away from Sebastian. Not that it would do any good with his vamp hearing, but it gave me the “sense” of privacy. I felt the tiniest bit of resistance from Chance, but he didn’t pull away. “I hate him as much as you do.”
His lips drew tight. “Doubt it.”
“But neither one of us can do anything to him, Chance. He’s a lot stronger than we are.” Chance was fuming, but quiet. I prayed he got it. “I don’t trust him. Not at all. But don’t you think that the best way to make sure he doesn’t do anything is to keep an eye on him?”
“The whole ‘enemies closer’ thing,” Chance said with a slight nod. “I get it.”
“Uh, s
ure.” I had no clue what Chance was talking about, my brain sorting through the few memories I could recall, coming up empty-handed. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” A few tense seconds went by before Chance’s body relaxed and the corner of his mouth lifted a bit.
“I don’t trust him, either,” he said. “But I do trust you. And if you think we need him, then we need him.” I half-smiled back, though not entirely sure he trusted me as much as he claimed. Which was fine, because I didn’t fully trust myself.
“If you two are done, perhaps it’s time to fill me in on exactly what I am expected to do.” Just the sound of Sebastian’s voice made me wanna hurl right there in the woods. I couldn’t wait until I was able to shut him up forever. But for now, I had to resist the urge and think of Kayla, and her need to find her dad.
“We’re going to Boston,” I said, dropping Chance’s hands. “And we need you to go with us.”
“Boston?” Sebastian asked with another raised eyebrow. “Whatever for?” If I didn’t know better, I would think he already knew the answer.
“We’re looking for somebody.”
“And how might I help you in your search?”
“Just be there,” I snapped back.
He grinned, clearly amused by my feeble attempt at being in charge. “And when will our little outing take place?”
“Now,” Chance said. Though he had backed off trying to rip Sebastian’s throat from his body, I could still hear the anger lingering just behind his words. “And as much as it pisses me off that she wants you there, I’m agreeing to this.”
“Splendid,” Sebastian said, smiling. “I wouldn’t miss it. It should prove to be a very…enlightening experience.”
“How’s that?” I asked. “You planning on finally admitting that you’re the one behind Mr. Harper going missing?”
“I’m afraid that I have no idea who you’re talking about.”
I could almost taste the lie. “Like I believe you.”
“Believe what you wish, dear Avali—”
“—I told you not to call me that.”
Blood Awakening (Blood Prophecy Trilogy) Page 10