The Next Generation

by S. C. Stephens

  Nika nodded, then shifted her gaze to smile up at Dad. He smiled back at her, adoration clear in his pale eyes. Arianna jerked her hand away from mine and backed up a step. “You’re all out of your minds…”

  Starla, stretched out in front of the crackling fireplace, yawned. “God, this is tedious. Just show her already, Julian.”

  I rolled my eyes at Starla, but I knew she was right. Arianna would have to see that I wasn’t normal to believe it. At hearing Starla, Arianna snapped her eyes to the woman she believed was my mother. Then she glanced at Dad, and I knew she was wondering how someone as young-looking as my father could have teenage children. I cupped her cheek, and she instantly returned her eyes to mine. Her face was warm under my fingertips, and her heart started racing. A part of me hoped it was my touch that did that to her, not the tension in the air.

  “Arianna, watch my mouth as closely as you can.”

  Her eyes locked onto my lips, and I had the strangest desire to press my lips to hers. But no…I didn’t want to kiss her. I didn’t like her that way.

  I lowered my jaw and held my mouth open. Arianna shook her head, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Not yet anyway. Slowly and precisely, I let go of the control on my teeth. My fangs elongated right before her eyes. I let them extend as far as they would go, until they brushed my bottom lip. Watching them grow in such a way made my heritage unmistakable. Like it or not, I was a vampire.

  Arianna gasped and backed up until she collided with the couch. She fell back into the cushions and scrunched into the corner of the chair. My heart sank as I watched her face fill with fear. Trey, on the other hand, clapped my shoulder and exclaimed, “Dude! That was freaking incredible! Can all of you do that?”

  As I kept my eyes glued on Arianna, I listened to the other vampiric members of my family dropping their fangs. Arianna’s eyes shifted to each person as they showed her the beast within. By the time her eyes drifted to Nika, they were moist. She looked terrified. Pulling up my fangs, I sank to my knees before her.

  “Hey, I’m still me, Arianna. I’m not going to hurt you. No one here is going to hurt you.” Arianna’s face was white, and the smell of anxiety was thick around her, like prey realizing it was surrounded by predators. I tried to touch her, but she pulled away from me. I thought she’d burrow into the sofa cushions if she could.

  Nika got up from her seat to squat beside me. “You okay, Arianna?”

  Arianna stared at Nika blankly, like she was speaking another language. She seemed frozen in shock. I wasn’t sure what to do. Carefully patting her leg, I whispered, “It’s okay…we don’t bite.”

  I meant it as a joke, but my comment pushed Arianna over the edge. She scrambled over the back of the couch, trying to get away from me. Nika scoffed and shoved my shoulder, pushing me onto my ass. Her disapproval blazed into me as she blurred over to her friend who was trying to escape. Zipping in front of Arianna, Nika held out her hands. “Wait, please don’t leave yet.”

  Trey let out an impressed whistle while Arianna stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes flicked from the couch to Nika. “How did you…?”

  Arianna was shaking, but she let Nika grab her hands. Stepping closer to her friend, Arianna whispered, “You’re a…vampire, Nika? You’re all vampires?”

  Nika nodded. “Yes, most of us are. But we don’t kill people, so you don’t need to be scared.”

  Arianna lifted her chin. “I’m not scared.” If her trembling had stopped and her heart rate had slowed, I might have believed her defiant stance.

  Nika slowly put her arm around her shoulders and led her back into the living room. “Come on, I want you to meet my parents. My real parents.”

  Mom cuddled into Dad’s side as Nika led Arianna over to them. Of course, Arianna had met them before, but things were a little different now that she knew the truth.

  Nika indicated each parent in turn. “Arianna, this is my dad, Teren, and my mom, Emma.”

  Both had pulled in their fangs, and they looked like a perfectly normal young couple. Mom grabbed Arianna’s hand and gave it a light shake. Arianna trembled as Mom’s cold seeped into her.

  Maybe not wanting to focus on why Mom was so cold, Arianna asked Nika, “If she’s your mom…then who is she?” She pointed at Starla.

  Arianna had said it quietly, like she didn’t want everyone to hear her question, but of course, nearly everyone did. Dad opened his mouth to answer, but Starla beat him to it. Linking her arms around Jacen’s neck, she told Arianna, “No relation. I’m still aging, so I got roped into being their designated parent.”

  Arianna blushed when she realized everyone could hear her whispers. Dad turned and frowned at Starla behind him. She quickly amended her statement with, “And I’m honored to do it.”

  Trey studied every vampire near him, then asked, “What does she mean by ‘still aging’?”

  Seeing a scientific question that he could easily answer, Gabriel nodded his head at Nika and me. “All mixed vampires are born alive. They live and grow as normally as humans do. But, the vampiric blood is…aggressive…and eventually wears out the human body. Every mixed vampire I’ve ever known has died sometime before they turn twenty-six.”

  Arianna twisted to me. Her eyes were moist as she asked, “You’re going to die in your twenties?”

  I twisted my lips, not sure how to begin answering that complicated question. Starla answered for me though. Waving her hand to get Arianna’s attention, she said, “Hey, remember me…the still aging one?” Arianna’s face melted into confusion as Starla popped a bubble with her gum. Jerking her thumb at Gabriel, Starla said, “Father’s a genius, developed a shot that keeps us alive for as long as we want to be.” She pointed to Julian. “If he decides to take it, he could live and die as a human.”

  A stillness filled the air as that topic was brought up again. Sensing the sudden tension, Starla looked around the room. “What? I’m just saying he could…if he wanted to.”

  While Arianna pondered her statement, Dad took hold of the conversation. “Our lives are a bit complicated, and unfortunately, a bit dangerous. Especially now.”

  Trey stepped forward, crossing his arms over his chest. “Because of that dick, Hunter?”

  Dad frowned, but nodded. “Yes. He knows what we are, and he isn’t okay with us. In fact, he wants to get rid of every single one of us.”

  Arianna locked eyes with Nika. I felt Nika’s grief welling as her friend’s face turned comforting. “Even you? But…he’s your boyfriend?”

  Nika swallowed, and a single tear slid down her cheek in response. Her pain threatened to tear my heart, drop me to my knees, but I stood tall, giving her what strength I could. Arianna threw her arms around Nika, hugging her tight and murmuring apologies.

  Walking behind her, Trey put a comforting hand on Nika’s shoulder. I stepped up to Arianna, tempted to touch her, but not wanting to startle her. Dad looked over all of us, then sighed and glanced around the room. “We should be discussing what we’re going to do, now that Hunter knows about us.”

  Dad’s eyes met Ben’s. Ben was leaning against the wall, listening to our confessions. A small smile was on his lips, the faint scar on his cheek crinkling, and I wondered if he was remembering the day he’d found out about my family. Focusing on Dad’s statement, he nodded. “He’s probably already researched the whereabouts of the ranch. It’s only a matter of time before he plans an attack. You’re not safe here.”

  Arianna nodded, catching on quickly, now that her shock was receding. “Yeah, it’s not hard to find. We weren’t sure where the ranch was, so Trey looked it up online while we drove. Took him two seconds.” Scrunching her face, she looked over at Nika. “Did you know there’s about seven Adams Ranches around the country?”

  Nika smiled, but didn’t mention that all those ranches belonged to our family. Grandpa Jack spoke into the quietness as he held Alanna’s hand. “So, where do you think we should go, son?”

  Dad opened his mouth to speak, but S
tarla again interjected. “I think we should head back to L.A. There’s safety in numbers.” She twisted her perfectly coifed head to Gabriel. “And you already drove them out of the city once, Father. They won’t touch anyone there again.”

  As Arianna murmured to Nika, “Is that hot guy really her dad?” I asked Gabriel, “Are they connected to the incident in L.A.? Are they the ones…answering ads for vampire feedings around here?” Gabriel cocked an eyebrow at me, and I explained further. “Dad told me that’s what you and Ben have been doing—hunting whomever has been hunting the vampires. You think it’s Hunter and his dad?”

  Nika sniffed, hanging her head, and Gabriel thought for a moment. Finally, he impassively told us, “It is highly probable. I would be hard-pressed to believe that there were two sets of hunters in the area giving us the same problem. The odds would suggest that they were one and the same.”

  “I still can’t believe Hunter would do this,” Nika whispered.

  No one answered her. Hunter had already done so much that it wasn’t all that shocking anymore. Hunter and his dad had been traveling the country, stopping in towns that showed a high level of “blood wanted” ads. They’d been answering the ads, then staking whatever poor soul tried to feed on them. And since they were both still alive, they must be good at their jobs.

  Dad turned to Grandpa Jack and finally answered his question. “I don’t know where we should go. We can’t stay here, but I really don’t want to leave hunters in the city. But the children…” He looked back at Nika and me. Bolstering my courage, I raised my chin. I’d meant what I’d said earlier. I would stay and fight for my home, if it came to that. And there were enough of us; we could defend ourselves from two humans.

  As I was showing Dad my strength, Arianna put her hand in mine. I clasped it tight, drawing even more courage from her. Dad looked at a loss over what to do, and Trey spoke up in his silence. “You can stay at my place. Hunter doesn’t know where I live.” He looked over at me. “And even if he tried to find me with my name, he couldn’t. The house is in my mom’s boyfriend’s name.”

  Dad exchanged glances with Mom, then turned to Trey. “There are a lot of us. Your family won’t mind?”

  Trey shrugged. “They’re usually…out of it. They probably won’t even notice.”

  Still grasping my hand, Arianna told my dad, “Nika and Julian could stay at my place. My parents won’t mind.” I smiled as I looked down at her, touched by her offer to hide a couple of vampire kids.

  Starla grunted as she popped to her feet. “Well, if we’re not going back to L.A., then can I at least go back home? This Hunter guy doesn’t know anything about Jacen and me.”

  Gabriel gave Starla an admonishing look, and she immediately sat back down. Imogen looked between Trey and Dad. “Teren, Mother and I can’t travel yet. We have to wait until nightfall.”

  Dad looked between all the different groups of people around him, some human, some not. Feeling invincible with my family around me, I again told him, “We should stay. Let Hunter and his dad come. We can fight them off.”

  My words surprised me, as did my lack of fear when I said them. But I’d been living in fear for a long time now, and I was a little tired of it. Dad locked his pale eyes on mine. A smile touched his lips, but then he frowned. “No, I can’t risk even one person getting hurt.” His eyes moist, he looked around the room. “Every single one of you is important to me. I couldn’t handle anything…” He swallowed, and Mom returned to his side.

  “Then we leave, Teren. We all leave together. We all stay safe together.”

  Dad placed his forehead against hers. “We leave at nightfall. We’ll go to Trey’s house.”

  Laughing a little, Trey clapped my back. “All right…partying with the Adams clan.” Mom and Dad frowned at Trey at the exact same time. They looked like they were already regretting their decision, and, despite the seriousness of the situation, I had to smile.

  Gabriel started in on a conversation with Ben regarding Hunter’s involvement in L.A. Mom and Dad walked over to join their discussion, and soon, all the adults were debating whether Hunter had killed vampires in Los Angeles.

  I could see the effect that the conversation was having on Nika. She was trying to be stoic, trying to be strong, but the longer she listened to Hunter’s past crimes, the more her chin started to tremble. Not wanting her to dwell, I tried redirecting her focus. “Hey, Nick, since we’re gonna be here a while, should we show Trey and Arianna around?”

  Sniffling, Nika met my eyes. Her warm, chocolate ones were misty. “Sure…yeah.”

  Nika stood, and I grabbed her hand with my free one. Holding both girls, I led our foursome away from the talk of plans and violence. Looking grateful that I was distracting Nika, Dad nodded at me. “Stay inside the house. Stay close,” he warned as I left the room with my friends.

  Heeding his words, we went back to the main entrance, where a grand staircase led up to the floors above. Trey whistled at the wealth he saw around him, and even Arianna seemed impressed by the fineries.

  “Wow, Julian, your family…does all right, huh?”

  I smiled down at her as we headed up the polished granite steps. “Yeah, I guess so.” Letting go of my hand, Nika fell back with Trey who was trying to convince her that she should sell a couple of my family’s art pieces and buy a Porsche.

  Arianna and I ended up on the second floor before them, and I pulled her down the right side of the hallway. Chuckling, Trey pulled Nika down the left hallway. He winked at me before passing around a corner with a grumbling Nika. Knowing he wanted me to make a move on Arianna, I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t going to make a move on her. It wasn’t like that with us. Although, holding her hand did feel nice.

  Shuffling along the hallway with her, I concentrated on her fingers meshed with mine as I pointed out all the various guest rooms and game rooms. She asked me polite questions about my “condition” as we walked, and I told her everything as truthfully as I could—that I was just as alive as she was, but my parents were no longer technically living, that sunlight didn’t bother me, but it did bother some of the other members of my family, and that my sister and I, on occasion, drank blood. Arianna cringed when I told her I enjoyed it, but she never once dropped my hand.

  As she was peeking into a large room that held a couple of pool tables, I looked down at her caramel-colored hair and sighed, “This is nice.”

  She looked back up at me with guarded eyes. “What’s nice?”

  Hating that things were still a little awkward, especially now that she knew the truth, I swung our hands and muttered, “Me and you, hanging out…talking. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed our friendship.”

  Arianna bit her lip and let go of my hand. She started walking up the hallway, and I fell into step beside her, wondering if I’d just ruined our moment by bringing up the past. Not wanting to broach the topic yet, I instead asked, “Are you…okay…with everything? With what we are? With what I am?”

  Arianna peeked over at me. A shaft of light caught her eyes, and they glowed with warmth and caring. My heart sped up a little as she slowly shook her head from side to side. “You and your sister are half-breed vampires, and Nika’s boyfriend wants to kill you… I’m peachy.”

  Reaching down, I again laced her fingers with mine. For some reason, I just couldn’t stop myself from being connected to her. I thought she might pull away, but she didn’t. She let me hold her. She even let me stroke my thumb against hers. Her eyes inspected the different rooms as we passed them, but my eyes were only on her. “Thank you for coming out here…for worrying about me. That means a lot to me.”

  We approached the next set of stairs that led up to the third floor, and Arianna stopped. Eyes locked on me, she said, “Of course I worry about you, Julian. I still care about you…even when I don’t want to.”

  She started up the stairs, and with a sigh, I followed her. When we got to the top, Arianna looked out the ornate windows. I knew from experience that the vie
w up here was extraordinary, but right now, I didn’t care one iota about it. I only cared about the girl in front of me; I needed to know how badly I’d hurt her, and I needed to know if she’d ever be my friend again. I kind of…needed her to be.

  Clenching her hand in mine, I whispered, “Are you still mad at me for…you know? The party? Our conversation afterward. My feelings about…Raquel?”

  My heart seized when I mentioned her name, but I instantly pushed the feeling aside. Arianna twisted to face me, sadness in her eyes. “She doesn’t deserve someone like you, Julian.” Her tone was completely serious, and a feeling hung in the air between us as her words settled around me. Warmth seeped into my heart, and I wanted to ask her what she thought of me, what she really thought of me.

  Remembering the fateful party where I’d shoved my tongue down her throat, I shook my head. “I didn’t mean to…kiss you that night. I didn’t mean to lead you on. I was high, not that it’s a good excuse…”

  Her arms protectively crossed in front of her chest, and the glow in her eyes darkened. “And what about before the party? We were touching, flirting…talking all the time. I thought…I thought you were finally letting her go. I thought we were starting something.”

  “Arianna, I…” I had no idea what to say.

  Arianna filled the silence; her words were laced with heartache. “We finally have a moment—a real moment—and then you tell me that you’re still in love with her, and you just want to be friends with me. That hurt, Julian. A lot.” She sniffed, but it didn’t stop the tears from falling.

  Not able to look at her pain, I shifted my gaze to the hardwood beneath our feet. Arianna’s shoes came into view as she stepped closer to me. “And do you know what sucks the most? The very reason I like you is the very reason she never will,” she quietly said.

  Confused, I peeked up at her. “What reason is that?”

  With a sad smile, Arianna murmured, “You’re warm, caring, kind. You’re a genuinely decent guy.” Her hand started to reach for my face, but then she stopped herself and her fingers fell back to her side. “At least, I thought you were, but maybe I’m just as disillusioned as Raquel.”