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Pappa laughs. “That’s old news. I heard from a group of travelers that a pack had settled near here, but had moved on suddenly; that’s why we came.” He eyes me through narrowed slits. “Why aren’t you at the club, keeping an eye on Botosoni, on our money? You need to keep a close watch between now and Friday, and make sure his eyes don’t wander to someone younger, fresher, and prettier than you. We need that money, girl.”
I swallow through the thickness in the back of my throat. After all the worry about them, they haven’t changed a bit, still the same horrible people that they are always going to be. My father looks at my face close and softens. “It was good of you to warn us, but there was no need. Now get in the tent with your ma and get some sleep, while me and your brothers go hunting. You look like hell. You have to get your beauty sleep if you’re going to look your best for Friday.”
I’m not going to argue with him because my body is wracked with not only the lack of sleep and weariness, but with heartache that I fear will not go away for a very long time. “Yes, Pappa.” I head into the tent, careful not to wake my still sleeping mother and slide into the makeshift bed, relieved that the rogues are gone for my family’s sake but wondering where they’ve gone instead.
The thought of them getting closer to Botosoni, no matter if they know they’re coming, and are ready or not, chills me to the very core. The only thing that gives me comfort is that all of them have to sleep during the day, so at least he will be safe until dark.
I toss and turn, finding it impossible to sleep for the longest of times. Exhaustion finally wins, and sleep drags me under, so deeply, drowning me in a never-ending cinema of me and Botosoni. Slow motion reels of the spark that ignited the minute we met, the first kiss, the way he took my virginity and looked at me with that possessiveness and the way he called me his. He wanted me, and then tossed me away like I didn’t matter at all.
The image of rogue vampires wakes me from a deep sleep. The vision pulling me from sleep instead of dragging me further under like a nightmare would do. No, this slow-motion image is in real time. They are close, very close, The vampires gathered together, talking with a large white wolf, who I now know is Sheba, while other gray wolves pace the perimeter, guarding them as they prepare for the night. A night that could end deadly for the vampires and Botosoni.
The vampire who seems to be in charge growls in my vision. My heart beats faster and faster, soaking up the images in my mind. Their faces may be blurred, but their words are crystal clear. “We go now. To the club, where they hide in wait for us as though we don’t know their tricks. We kill everyone in sight, drive stakes right through their dark-hearted souls. The soldiers they have dotted around the perimeter of the club will fall fast under our attack!”
A cheer goes up, and Sheba steps forward with the vampire rogue, his white coat and crystalline blue eyes glowing in the dark next to the darkness of the vampire. The rogue vampire growls a ferocious sound. “Remember, Descallia, he belongs to me. I want to see him fall for the very last time.”
My throat thickens, and my heart beats erratically. I came to save my family, and now Botosoni and the vampires are in danger. Now, I’m stuck here with no way to get back to them in time to warn them that the rogues are coming. That they’re not waiting until Friday night but instead plan to attack them tonight. My mind races with angst. I pull my phone from my purse, knowing it’s not going to work this far from the nearest towers but needing to try anything to warn them.
The no signal icon on my phone causes my hopes to dash. I shove it back into my purse. A vision flashes through my mind, too quickly to make out at first, but slowly emerges. A slow image of me hunting the shifters, taking them out, one by one.
It's almost dusk before I unzip the tent. My family is by the campsite, Mamma grilling pieces of red meat, most likely a deer that’s found its way into the sights of Pappa’s rifle. A treat from the birds, squirrels, and rabbits that usually find their way onto our plates.
Pappa looks up at me. “Come and eat, then we’re going to hitch up the horses and take you back into town before it gets too dark. The vampires have been sleeping all day, so we let you rest so you could keep up with Master Botosoni. You need to bring your A game back to the club. Tease him along, girl, make him want you so bad that by Friday he’ll be begging to pay any price to make you his.”
My brothers smirk, grinning at each other over the sale of their sister. My chest tightens, and my heart hardens against them just a little bit more, just like it always does. Until one day, there will be no more room for any feeling toward them at all. “Sure, Pappa. I need a few things from the wagon and then need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be back shortly.” They don’t even acknowledge me. My mother too intent on her cooking and my father and brothers laughing about something said too low for me to hear. I have no doubt it’s something crude about me.
I zip up my stolen jacket, don my gloves, and head to the back of the trailer that they tow with all of our belongings and supplies. The bows are hanging along one side of the trailer with the arrows sticking out of their handmade pouches, handy for grabbing at a moment’s notice when an animal of any size takes them by surprise. I take my bow and one of the pouches that I packed. I know exactly what’s in every single one of them. I may not appreciate much my parents have done for me, but at least I know how to hunt, because tonight, that’s exactly what I plan to do.
Chapter 20
Botosoni
My jaw is clenched tightly, waiting for dusk to settle. The minute that it does, I do not waste a second. I transport to the exact location that Aleah mentioned, confident that I will be able to pick up Catina’s scent, and I’m not wrong. The sweetness of her scent wafts into my nostrils, still clinging to the trees and branches which are covered in white.
The fresh snow makes it impossible to pick up her trail, until I reach a tree-lined area that has caught the brunt of the snowfall, leaving discernible prints under its canopy that confirm I’m heading the right way. Not that I needed that, because I’m so close now that I can feel every erratic beating of her heart when it should be calm.
I quicken my step, and from my place high above the valley I see Catina, and my chest tightens. I growl my unprecedented rage from my hillside advantage, my cloak flying behind me as I race through the air, diving downward with a sword in one hand and my trusty dagger in the other.
Bodies of downed shifters and rogues lay scattered on the ground, at least eight on my initial count. I make quick work of shoving stakes through the hearts of the three vampires while stepping over the enemy shifters in order to get to Catina who lays in a pool of scarlet blood painting the snow. “Catina!”
Her eyes barely open, and she speaks but no sound comes out; only the thoughts in her mind are clear. Run, they are going to the club.
I lift her frail body into my arms, pulling her to me as what’s left of her life essence quickly spills from the horrific gashes in her throat. There’s only one thing that I can do, and without thought of seeking permission from the counsel, or even her, my fangs sink deep into the veins of her neck, removing every last drop of the substance that keeps her heart beating, before slitting my wrist and holding it to her lips.
I watch the stream of red trickle into her mouth, keeping her head titled so that she doesn’t choke while I give her the life blood that she needs, until she has taken in enough to survive.
Now she will be mine in every way, an immortal being that will stand the test of time by my side. No matter that she may not talk to me at first, or that she will be horrified at what I’ve done. In time, I will make her come around, teach her our ways, and love her for an eternity.
If she can survive the transition…
Because of late, that journey has been harder and harder. A cruel twist of retribution by the gods for turning and allowing so many lives through in the past year, I have no doubt. But Catina is a mighty warrior at heart, and she will make it through. I look around at the carnage that my love has singlehandedly caused. The shifters and even rogues that she took out with the little bow and arrow laying on the ground by her side, with her finger still curled around it’s string.
I lift her limp and torn body, fangs and sharp teeth having ripped open the delicate skin of her neck, shoulder, and limbs, all bloodied and gaping from the beasts who want to continue this tradition of rampage in the worst of ways. The ones we will fight to the death to put an end to their reign of terror. The ones who are already on their way to the club. But I’m not worried in the slightest, because we are prepared, and they are walking right into the very trap that we set.
I transport to my estate, laying Catina in my bed, and kissing her forehead. Clara walks in the door, and her face registers her shock. I gesture to the bathroom. “I need you to get cloths, and clean her up, get her comfortable. I have to go back to the club. The rogues are probably getting close. They will take their time, hoping to pick off any of our men guarding the outside perimeter of town and those closer around the club, but they will have a surprise of their own tonight.”
Clara shoos me to the door. “Go, I’ve got this handled. And be careful.”
I glance down at the woman lying in my bed, and the one who’s already started to care for her. I would do anything for both women in my life. It’s the last thing I think about before leaving them at my estate and transporting to the club. Descallia and the others are having coffee and finishing a meal after a day of sleep, gaining sustenance for the full night ahead. Which is good because trouble is on its way. “The rogues and shifters are heading this way. Catina picked off at least eight of them with a bow and arrow, but they must have attacked her. I found her left for dead and transitioned her.”
