by R. Sullins
I sucked in a breath. I had been avoiding thinking about it for a while now. I chose to ignore the voice in the back of my mind, telling me that my mother didn’t purposely abandon my sister and me. Maybe she was captured that night while trying to lure that monsters away from her family. Could she have been held captive for the last 6 years? And I spent that entire time hating her with a fierceness that I was now ashamed of. I blamed her for so long. I hated her for leaving us while we were injured. My dad was hanging there with his eyes wide open, seeing absolutely nothing. My sister hanging from her seatbelt, her body twisted in a way that was obviously not right. I could now see clearly the tears on my mother’s face. I could see the sadness in her eyes and fright. Fright I now knew was for her girls. She led the ghouls away from the car in which we were both trapped. And possibly got herself trapped or killed for her trouble.
Shame flooded every cell in my body. The mother I once knew would never have abandoned her family. But she would have sacrificed herself to protect us. Oh god.
“Please, Crispin, I need to do this,” I whispered, tears sliding down my cheeks. “If I’ve been so wrong about my mother after all this time…” a sob tore from my throat before I could hold it back. “My mother loved her girls more than anything on earth. She never would have left us and stayed away. Unless she was either dead or incapable of coming back to us.”
The grim look on Crispin’s face told me far more than the quick jerk of assent said. “No taking chances. You will be covered from head to toe in trackers and microphones. You won’t take chances with your life. Give me your word Hunter. Or, no, I won’t allow you to do this. Your life is worth more to me than anything else. Vow it to me, Ivy.”
There was no other choice for me. “Of course, I give you my word that I will be careful, I will only do what you tell me, I won’t take any unnecessary risks. I don’t want to die Crispin.” I put all my sincerity into my eyes. “I want to love you forever, Crispin.” I felt the faint shudder that ran through him at my words. And I was being sincere. I didn’t want to be captured. I didn’t want to go through the kind of hell those possibly missing Hunters had been going through. But I did want to save them, each and every one of them. If we could get any information on where they were being kept the mission would be worth it.
Alan, the head tech-savvy sentinel, was already typing away on his tablet and mumbled something about getting ready for the night. Ariel was playing with the ends of her long blond hair looking sad. Rhys looked about as against the plan as Crispin himself. Jared had a look on his face that conveyed pride and wariness. I understood, it was a dangerous situation that could go south if we weren’t careful with our planning. He stood up and nodded to me, “Ready when you are, princess.”
I rolled my eyes and then placed a soft, sweet kiss on my vampire mate’s mouth. “Thank you, Crispin.” I caressed his cheek and then got up and walked out the door. I had a lot to do today before I would be ready for tonight.
Chapter 22
*****
Crispin could shake the feeling of dread. It had stayed with him all through the day, keeping him from sleeping peacefully. Of course, not having his Hunter beside him in bed was not helping. That was something that needed to change immediately.
He was up before the sun had a chance to make it's decent. He paced in front of the treated windows in his bedroom for close to an hour. He felt helpless and he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that was consuming him.
“Come to me, Hunter.”
His telepathic words met her mind and he felt her delight at his mental voice. She was everything he never knew he needed. Everything he never allowed himself to want. He would never let her go and he would burn the earth to ashes to keep her safe.
*****
I walked into the cottage a little less than an hour after leaving Crispin and his sentinels in his meeting room. I wasn’t excited about the plan. I was absolutely petrified that something would go wrong. But I was even more terrified that my mother and other Hunters were captives of a crazy person and felt the pressing need to free them as soon as possible.
I walked quietly down the hall, not wanting to disturb my sister if she wasn’t awake but wanted to check on her. I had a desire to spend as much time with her today as possible. Our lives were changing at light speed and even though we didn’t have the relationship we once had I still needed to be close to her. I never lost hope that we could have a closeness again. Even through the competitiveness as children we still had a bond only twins had.
I peeked through the slightly open door, staying out of view when I heard the voices of Iris and Sandy. Iris was holding her own bowl and spoon while eating the oatmeal that Sandy had prepared. Just the sight of Iris eating had my eyes watering. Sandy was sitting next to her bed in the armchair that usually sat in the corner of the room and was talking in her soft, caring voice. She was asking Iris if she wanted to spend some time in the sun and get a bath today. Iris was nodding her head and smiled at Sandy.
I must have made a noise, sniffling too loud maybe because Iris looked up at me. The look that crossed her face had me rushing inside and crawling up her bed to sit beside her. Sandy gently took her bowl and walked quietly out the door to give us privacy. I put my arm around Iris’ frail shoulders and wiped the tear that was sliding down her cheek.
“I’m sorry, Ivy.” Her whisper was so quiet I almost didn’t hear her at all.
“Don’t,” I whispered back. My heart was breaking at her misery. I didn’t know why she was being emotional or even letting me touch her, but I wasn’t going to throw away any chance of being close to her for the first time in 6 years.
Her shoulders shook as she softly cried and spoke brokenly through her hands. “I-I am so s-s-sorry I blamed you, Ivy. I have b-been so mean to you and taken out all my anger on you. And Sandy has always been so nice and I treated her like dirt! I’ve been w-wallowing in misery for years and wasted so much time.” Her face was red and her eyes puffy when she removed her hands and looked at me. “I don’t know if you could ever f-f-forgive me.”
“Shhh… you don’t even have to ask. You’re my sister. I would do anything for you.”
We sat on her bed and cried and talked quietly for over an hour. We talked about the accident and about all the medical procedures Iris went through. About how we had to be separated while I went back to school and Iris had to stay in bed. We cried and held each other.
“I was so angry Ivy. So, so angry. I was also jealous. I kept asking myself ‘why me’. I didn’t want you to be the one hurt but I couldn’t get over seeing you continue with life while I lost everything.” She sniffled and looked me in the eyes. “I never really blamed you, Ivy, I want you to know that. None of this was your fault. I saw how you didn’t allow yourself any enjoyment. Until recently you haven’t allowed yourself to date anyone.” She smiled bitterly, “I was mad enough to be glad that you weren’t really happy.” Another tear slid down her cheek. “What kind of person does that make me?”
I placed a finger over her lips. “It makes you human Iris. I don’t blame you for being angry. You lost a lot, there is no denying that. I don’t know how I may have reacted if it had been me.”
“No,” she shook her head sadly. “You would never have behaved the way I did. Mom and dad would have been so disappointed if they saw the way I acted these last few years. They raised us better than that.” She sat there staring at her hands as they twisted the blanket in her lap.
“Iris,” I started hesitantly. “Can I ask, what has happened to bring all this out today?”
She wiped under her eyes and told me how she always felt a little guilty for her behavior. But recently, while talking to her new guy, Jim, she realized how truly horrible she’d been acting. Jim has a sister that he’s talked about a lot. He’s told her about how important his sister is since she’s all the family he had left. It made her feel bad because she liked Jim and knew he wouldn’t like how she treated her own sister.
&n
bsp; Inside I was disappointed that she only decided to change her ways because of this guy. But I knew I had to accept the good as it came. We still had a long road to travel to get to where we once were. But maybe, with a lot of effort on both our parts, we could be close again. I felt like I finally had a glimpse of the sister I lost. I wanted to hang on tight to the hope that after years of hate and bitterness Iris was finally coming back to herself.
After our long talk filled with tears and confessions of recriminations, I helped her into her bath, washing her hair and singing softly to her like our mother used to do. Since coming to the realization that my mother might have taken off to protect us I had been missing her more than ever. She may be in danger even now. Or maybe dead, and I had been hating her so much. It was such a hard thing to come to terms with. That I could be this hateful, spiteful person to the one being that would have given her life to keep me safe. I wiped my eyes discreetly so Iris wouldn’t see me. I had a new determination to find my mother or at the very least find the truth.
Lifting Iris carefully from the tub I sat her in the chair that we kept in the bathroom for her and dried off her legs as she dried her upper body. The sight of her legs always sent pangs of sadness through me. They were so thin, no muscle tone left after all these years. I had a fleeting thought that maybe, just maybe, she could become a vampire. I’d have to ask Crispin. I didn’t know if it would help her walk again. I remember he told me that the change didn’t change one’s appearance, it did make them stronger, healed illnesses they might have, and gave them powers, though some only get the basic power of compulsion. I wondered if it would be enough to make her happy if it couldn’t heal her enough to walk again.
We sat in the backyard for hours, Iris soaking up the rays of the sun, a small smile on her face. The weather was warm but not too hot. I made sure that she had plenty of sunscreen on but I couldn’t get her to sit in the shade. She told me she felt that she had been stuck in the dark for far too long and wanted out into the light. I could hardly disapprove of her need for sun and wide-open space. So we both sat in our small backyard and watched the butterflies dance around the yard. The soft breeze brushed over our faces as we laughed about our childhood and some of the trouble we got into.
It warmed my heart to share this moment with her. She was once so important to me, still was. But she was my other half, my twin, and I loved her dearly. Just having this day together felt like the beginnings of that bond forming again.
While we sat there she told me more about Jim and their budding relationship. Apparently, they’d been talking for a couple of months now and had gotten fairly close. They discussed meeting soon. They planned and got Sandy to agree, to have him come over for dinner one night. I could feel the giddy excitement come over her at the prospect of a real relationship. I was so happy for her and promised her that I would help her in any way I could.
When it came time for me to leave I helped her into bed and made sure she was comfortable with her laptop. She smiled softly at me and told me to go and enjoy my night with Crispin and that she would see me in the morning. I kissed the top of her head and lingered for a few moments just enjoying having my sister back.
Before I left I went into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready. Tonight was going to be intense, I was sure of it. There was a lot to do and I knew Crispin was still going to be upset that I was deliberately putting myself in danger. All through the day, I could feel him in the back of my mind. I could feel his love but I could also sense his displeasure with the plan.
I finished getting ready, applied just a touch of makeup and as I was about to turn off the light I saw my reflection. I had a soft smile on my face and my eyes looked happy. I no longer had dark circles under my eyes and my cheeks had a healthy glow on them from being in the sun. My arms looked toned, defined, and I knew that under the rest of my clothes I would see the muscles I’d gained during the long months of training to be the Hunter I now was.
I took one last look at myself, proud of the woman I had become. I smiled at my reflection, turned off the light, and left the room.
Chapter 23
*****
Crispin paced back and forth in the meeting room while listening to the instructions that his men were giving his mate.
To say he was displeased was a massive understatement. He was livid. He was worried. He could admit only to himself that he was scared beyond anything he had experienced in his life.
He trusted his sentinels and knew that they would do everything within their power to keep his Hunter safe, but there was a niggling in the back of his mind that told him this was going to end badly. It took all of his self-control to not call an immediate halt to the preparations.
He watched as they put multiple trackers all over her body. Her clothes had trackers including her shoes. They gave her earrings with trackers. Her belt had a tracker. Even her hair had a small tracker clipped next to her scalp, undetectable under her hair. If he could he would imbed a tracker under her skin.
What he couldn’t do was lose her. After such a long existence of living in the darkness she brought sun and laughter to his life. If he were to lose her nothing and no one would be able to stop the destruction he would wreak on the world.
*****
I tried to stop myself from fidgeting in my seat as the car drove us to the downtown section of the city. It was well past midnight and the streets were all but deserted. Last night there was a sighting of a revenant in an alley behind a restaurant so we figured that it was a good place for me to start.
Crispin had a death grip on my hand but I wasn’t willing to ask him to let up his hold. I think he needed it more than I did.
“Remember, Hunter, you allow them to take you but you don’t allow them to hurt you. If they seem more interested in hurting than taking you to whoever is in charge you kill them all and run away.” He rubbed his thumb over my wrist as if assuring himself that my pulse was still beating. “The device that Alan placed in your belt has a live video and audio feed that he will be watching non-stop. There are 8 trackers on you so even if one should be damaged or fall off there will be others as backup.”
He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. “Your ear device is working? You can hear and it feels secure?” He was already tilting my head so he could get a good look at the tiny device that was practically embedded in my ear canal. He had insisted on a little adhesive to prevent it from falling out and, even though Alan had assured him that it wasn’t necessary, that the device would stay in no matter what, he demanded it be done. So I now had some kind of glue inside my ear.
I would indulge him all I could because all his worries went a long way to reassure me and, funnily enough, kept me calm. Other than my fidgeting of course. I should have been a nervous wreck but having Crispin there to take the burden for me allowed me to relax more than I would have thought possible. It also made me love him more. When I looked into his glowing silver eyes my heart swelled in my chest. I never would have guessed even a few months ago that I would have this. I knew now we would always have this. I leaned forward and lightly pressed my lips to his.
“Thank you Crispin.” My words feathered softly over his mouth. It was possible some of his people, namely Alan since he was the resident tech geek, could hear my whispered words but I wanted this moment to be just for the two of us. “Thank you for loving me.”
His arms went around me and held me tight. I felt the breath stutter in his chest and my eyes watered at the intense feeling of love that flowed from him. He didn’t say a word, just held me and breathed in my scent.
When the car finally came to a stop he held on for a few more minutes. Not one of his sentinels tried to open the door or hurry us along. I was sure through the bond that they each had with him as their Master they could feel the need he had for this quiet moment in time.
Finally, he pulled back and looked deep in my eyes without saying a word. But in my mind, I heard him clearly.
You will tak
e care of my Hunter and bring her back to me safe and whole.
I smiled at him.
I will always come back to you, my vampire.
His kiss was so soft and gentle and full of love. I knew it was a moment I would never forget.
We got out of the car and walked to the huddle of sentinels a few feet away and went over a few last-minute instructions. I was to walk north through the deserted downtown area for several blocks. Alan and a couple of others would be watching the city’s cameras for any movement from the revenants as well as watching my progress. The plan was to always have eyes on me in addition to all the trackers.
If all went according to plan then the only fear we had was if I was physically hurt. If it looked to be heading in that direction I was to fight back. And I would. I had no desire to lose the happiness that Crispin brought me. And my sister was coming back to me. I had so much to be thankful for, and so much to lose. I straightened my back in determination.
After our huddle, the others moved a little ways away as if knowing that we needed time alone just one last time. Crispin crushed me to his chest and kissed me harder than he ever had. His tongue swept through my mouth and his sharp teeth scraped against my lips, making little drops of blood swell up before the scrapes healed and it happened all over again. By the time he lifted his head, I had to fight for breath and swayed on my feet.
I glanced around at the sentinels with my face red and was thankful that they all pretended to find the buildings fascinating. All except for Jared. His smirk had me throwing him a dirty look while fighting a smirk of my own.