Even though I felt like my dead heart was cracking open, I told him, “You’re right…we should break the bond. We should see if this is real.” More tears dropped to my cheeks as I admitted defeat. Although, it wasn’t necessarily defeat. It could quite possibly be what strengthened us. Yes, I preferred to think of it that way.
Hunter nodded, then his eyes started glazing over. “Don’t think this is easy for me, because it’s not. The thought of no longer being connected to you...” He closed his eyes and a shiver washed through him. “I’d rather drink a vial of pure silver than do this, but I really don’t see another way.”
I cupped his stubbled jaw and he opened his red-tinged eyes. “I know. Will you do it tonight?” I asked, feeling a phantom heart thumping wildly in my silent chest. Was I losing him right now?
Under my fingertips, Hunter shook his head. “No…I need to talk to Halina before I do anything. I need her to understand. I won’t do it behind her back again.”
I nodded as I felt the tension in my body marginally relax. I had time, at least one more night. I wasn’t sure what good a brief amount of time really did me, but delaying the inevitable felt wonderful. Letting go of his face, I whispered, “I want to be there when you talk to her. She might take it better if it comes from both of us.”
Hunter smiled, the guilt lifting from his expression. “Thank you. I really appreciate that and I think you’re right.” He looked down, to where my parents were struggling with Simon in the kitchen. He was still trying to cry out for help. “I should help them get Simon back to the ranch first.” He returned his eyes to mine. “We’ll have to take a car, since we ran here.”
I frowned as I considered all of the things keeping me from my family home. “The ranch is turning into a prison. I’m really not thrilled about that.”
I heard my dad sigh downstairs, and I knew he agreed with me. Hunter did too. “Nobody likes it, but it’s just how things are right now. We need somewhere to put the hunters we can’t compel, and the ranch is the safest place for them.”
“And what if there are more than two? What if there are a lot more than two? How many people are we going to contain? And for how long?”
Hunter’s face darkened with every question I asked. “I don’t know…but I doubt there will be any others. This is rare…a fluke. And Gabriel will figure out why they’re immune and once we understand, we’ll be better prepared.” He stroked my cheek. “We’ll fix this…soon, and then we’ll be together.”
I refrained from showing my disbelief at that statement and gave Hunter an encouraging smile. What they were trying to do seemed improbable and unending, but what choice did they have? If they didn’t do something, then the hunters would pour down on us en masse, just like they’d done a couple months ago. But Simon wasn’t a hunter…he was just immune. Locking him up with Jake seemed wrong. All of this seemed wrong.
Grabbing Hunter’s hand, I blurred downstairs with him. Dad was holding Simon’s arms behind his back while Mom clamped a hand over his mouth. Simon was breathing heavy as he tried to jerk away from my parents. He reminded me of a wild stallion resisting being broken. Even though I knew Simon was privy to all our secrets and could easily expose us, I didn’t want this for him.
I put my hand on Dad’s arm. “Leave him here. Julian and I will watch him. Starla, Jacen, and even Uncle Ben can help us keep an eye on him.”
Dad shook his head. “Gabriel needs to test him. We need to know why he can’t be compelled.”
I raised an eyebrow at Dad. “Gabriel needs his blood. Take a sample back with you, but leave him here. He’s innocent. He’s not a hunter like Jake. He’s just a kid, Dad.” I added. “He’s just like us.”
Dad hesitated before he answered, and I could see that he agreed with me on some level. He looked over at Mom. She pursed her lips, shrugged, then nodded. Dad looked over to me again. “All right. He’s just a teenager, not a threat. For now, he can stay here with you and your brother. But I’m calling Ben, and letting him know what’s going on.” He pointed at Hunter. “And I want you to stay here with them, at least for tonight.”
Hunter blinked in confusion. “But we talked about this… I’m needed there…”
Dad nodded while I squeezed Hunter’s hand. He was needed here too. “I know,” Dad said as he shook his head, “but that was before this…complication.” He sighed. “Emma and I need to go back… I need to get my car, give the sample to Gabriel, check on Jake… Just watch over them tonight, okay? Then you can return.” Dad’s eyes flicked to me, and then over to Julian who was shuffling into the room with his head down. I didn’t need the emotional bond in place to know that Julian was heartbroken. Again. He must have said goodbye to Arianna. Again.
Hunter straightened as he took Dad’s assignment to heart. I wanted to roll my eyes. I was a pureblood vampire. I could handle one freaked-out teenage boy all by myself. I resisted the snotty behavior and attempted to act mature. Dad was ordering my boyfriend to stay with me all night. I didn’t really want to argue him out of that.
While a surge of excitement went through me at the thought of Hunter staying here, a surge of panic went through Simon. He fought against my dad, and then pulled away from my mom. He managed to get his mouth free long enough to shout out, “You’re not getting my blood! No way, no how!”
Mom grimaced, clearly not liking the idea of puncturing his skin. “Teren, how do we take his blood out? I’m pretty sure we don’t have any syringes lying around the house. And it feels wrong to take it against his will like this.”
Dad inhaled a deep breath, then shook his head. “I don’t know, Em, but we need a sample. We need answers.”
Thinking we were going to slice him open, Simon started freaking out in earnest. I felt bad for him, but we really didn’t have a way to subdue him, unless we wanted to knock him out, and I didn’t want to do that. Maybe there were some of Trey’s special brownies left…
With a burst of adrenaline, Simon broke away from Dad, and made a dash for it. Unfortunately, since Julian, Hunter, and I were blocking his escape, the only direction Simon could run was around the island. A hallway on that side of the kitchen led to the laundry room and a mudroom, with a door that led to the side of the house and to freedom. My super-fast family wasn’t about to let that happen though.
Dad blurred the opposite direction, beating Simon to his retreat. Hunter moved in right after Dad, stopping a few feet behind Simon, so he couldn’t escape that way either. Seeing Dad seemingly appear out of thin air in front of him, Simon pulled up short. Unfortunately for Simon, the kitchen was an absolute mess. Spilled drinks, broken chips, and empty plastic cups were all over the ground. Simon slipped on the remnants of a Jell-O shooter near the fridge. He lost his balance and started to fall.
Hunter and Dad reached out for him, but Simon grabbed the counter beside him before either vampire touched him. Proving that nothing was going right for Simon tonight, the spot where he’d grabbed to steady himself was home to a small collection of sharp ceramic pieces—remnants of a decorative plate that hadn’t survived the party. When Simon smacked his hand down, a thick piece cut deep into the meat of his palm. Jerking in pain, he pulled his hand back and continued falling to the floor.
The smell of blood was fresh and heavenly. Simon groaned as he clutched his bloody hand to his body. He’d been so afraid of us taking his blood, that he’d inadvertently given it to us himself. Dad and Hunter were kneeling bedside him in a flash. Dad examined Simon’s wounds, then lifted his eyes to Julian. “Quick, get a container. Something with a lid.” When Julian scampered off, Dad swung his eyes to Mom. “And get some bandages.”
While Mom zipped away, Julian came back to Dad and gave him a shallow bowl. As Hunter held Simon in place, Dad grabbed his wrist. Simon, scared and in pain, jerked and bucked so wildly against Dad that I was sure he’d get away again. Hating what we were doing, I blurred to Simon’s side, and helped to hold him steady. Between Hunter and I, Simon was now being held almost per
fectly still.
Simon’s eyes were wide as Dad brought his injured palm to the bloody bowl; the large piece of ceramic was still stuck inside it, staunching the flow. If Simon wasn’t suffering from shock, I was sure he’d be screaming again. I wished I could compel him to make this easier. But if I could compel Simon, we wouldn’t have been in this mess in the first place. I tried again anyway. Attempting to hold his gaze, I told him, “Relax, you’re okay. We’re going to help you. You’ll be fine. Just relax.” I repeated it over and over, but it didn’t matter. Simon wasn’t relaxed.
Not wanting to torment him any longer, Dad pulled out the piece of plate and squeezed Simon’s hand. Simon cried out in surprise and pain, but he was firmly stuck. A small pool of blood collected in Simon’s palm. Tilting it, Dad poured the blood into the bowl, filling it with the dark, red liquid. In just a few seconds, the bowl had a small collection of blood in the bottom of it.
“Is that enough?” Mom asked, returning with a bandage.
Dad gave Simon a remorseful expression. “It will have to be. I want to get him cleaned up and calmed down.”
He handed the bowl back to Julian, so he could put the lid on it. Once the blood was secure, Dad stepped away from Simon, and Mom kneeled down to tend to his hand. Simon was shaking in my arms, his teeth chattering. His chin was lifted and he was trying to be brave, but I could tell he was terrified.
Mom murmured gentle words as she cleaned his palm with a wet rag, checking for stray ceramic pieces as she went. She sort of sounded like I had earlier, when I’d been trying to compel him to calmness. It worked better with Mom saying it, and Simon minutely relaxed under her touch. Once Mom was finished bandaging his palm, she patted his hand and helped him stand up. When he was on his feet, she let go of Simon and nodded at Hunter and me to follow suit. When we did, Simon stared at his palm, then to the hallway leading to freedom, then back to his palm again.
Simon was somewhat calmer now that he wasn’t restrained, but he still seemed to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown. “I want to go home. Why are you holding me against my will? And…what are you people?” His eyes were wide as he stared at Dad.
Dad held up his hands. “We’re not going to hurt you, but you need to stay at the house. So long as you stay put, nothing will happen. No one will hurt you. I promise.”
Simon straightened his stance, but he didn’t look at all relieved by Dad’s words. Lifting the bowl of blood, Dad turned to Mom. “We should get this to Gabriel.”
Mom nodded, but Dad seemed hesitant to leave us with Simon. I was just about to tell him he was overreacting, when Hunter spoke up. “I’ve got this. Go, get the blood to Gabriel. Get some answers.”
Dad patted Hunter’s shoulder. “I have a feeling all I’m going to get are more questions.” He gave Julian and me a hug, then Mom did the same. Grabbing Mom’s hand, Dad told us, “I’m going to call Ben and Starla on the way, although, I doubt Starla is going to be of much use right now.” He sighed and shook his head, then narrowed his eyes in seriousness as he stared at Julian, Hunter and me. “You call us if anything, anything goes wrong.”
Grabbing my hand, Hunter told him, “We will.”
Dad gave him a grateful expression, then turned his eyes to Julian. “When we get back, we’re all going to sit down and have a discussion about this ‘party’ the two of you were having.” Julian let out a pained sigh while I bit my lip. That conversation wasn’t going to be fun. With one last look at Simon, Mom and Dad blurred out of the house. I could feel them down the street in the blink of an eye.
Once they were gone, Simon seemed a touch more relaxed and a touch bolder. He took a step toward the exit. “I’m sure whatever sort of babysitting plan you guys had in mind for me was great and all, but I think I’ll just be going now. Thanks for the hospitality.”
A low growl escaped Hunter. “You’ll never make it, kid. I’m a hundred times faster and stronger than you. I really don’t want to hurt you, so stay put.”
Maybe realizing that not all of the threats had left, Simon froze. Julian suddenly looked very nervous and antsy. I wasn’t sure why, or if I was really reading his emotions correctly, but he seemed preoccupied as he bit his nails and shuffled from one foot to another. I studied him while Hunter asked Simon, “Do you have any idea why Nika couldn’t trance you?”
Simon’s face went completely blank. “What the hell are you talking about? What the hell are any of you talking about?” Gently touching the bandage over his palm, he muttered under his breath, “I’m surrounded by lunatics.”
Ignoring his comment, I looked up at Hunter. “He doesn’t know anything.” Returning my eyes to Julian, I finally asked him, “Got ants in your pants, Julie? What’s with you?”
He removed his thumbnail from his teeth, gave me a pondering onceover, then walked over to me. Nodding his head toward the garage, he said, “I’ve got to show you something…but I don’t want you to get mad.”
I instantly frowned. “What did you do?”
Not answering me directly, he grabbed my hand from Hunter and started pulling me toward the garage. I watched Hunter grab Simon’s arm, pulling him along to follow us. I wasn’t sure what I was going to find in the garage. I kept my mind open to anything, but I was sure I was still going to be surprised. Julian and Dad weren’t done organizing the space, and boxes of junk to be tossed or sorted were scattered here and there. I was pretty certain that after this fiasco, I’d be out here helping Julian finish. Maybe Hunter would have to help too, since he’d been a part of the cover-up. That seemed only fair.
Julian pointed over to a couple of camping chairs in the corner and my mouth dropped. Gaping in disbelief, I stared over at Arianna sitting on one. Julian had hidden her away in here instead of making her leave the house. Unbelievable. I smacked Julian’s arm with every ounce of my enhanced strength. He cringed away, holding his arm. “Ow, Nick!”
“You’re gonna think ow,” I snapped. “What is she doing here? She’s supposed to be on her way home, blissfully ignorant of everything that happened here tonight.”
Julian’s face went from irritated to embarrassed. “I couldn’t send her away again. I couldn’t make her forget again. She kissed me, Nick. We had a moment, a great moment—and I want her to remember that we had it. And you didn’t give her the desire to leave the house that time, so all I had to do was convince her to stay. And so long as she stays in the house, she remembers, and the garage is still technically part of the house.”
I felt like smacking him again. “Julian! She can’t stay in the garage for the rest of her life.”
Thanks to my shrieking, Arianna noticed us. Her features were a combination of confusion and concern as she stood and started walking our way. While we watched her approaching, Hunter joined us in the garage, a struggling Simon in tow. Hunter frowned when he spotted my brother’s ex. “Why is she still here?” he asked.
“Because my brother’s an idiot, and he’s trying to get us into even more trouble,” I muttered.
Julian gave me pleading eyes. “Arianna isn’t a problem, Nick, and you know that. Just erase the memory trap you implanted, and I’ll make sure she gets back home.”
I stared at my brother like he’d just told me he’d purchased the moon online. “What? I can’t—”
By this time, Arianna had reached us. “Julian? You told me you’d explain, so…what’s going on? What was all that upstairs? And why are you guys holding Simon like he’s…dangerous or something?” Her eyes flicked to Hunter and his unwilling captive. Her gaze fell on Simon’s bandage and eyes widened in concern. “Oh my God, are you hurt?” She hurried over to him and grabbed his hand with both of hers.
“Arianna, you should…” Simon cut off on his warning when Hunter squeezed the spot on his arm right above his elbow. Flinching, Simon changed his sentence to, “It’s nothing. I was just clumsy, slipped in the kitchen.”
Arianna seemed to believe him, but she also didn’t like Hunter hanging on so tight. With a scowl, she
yanked Simon’s arm free. Frowning at all of us, she crisply bit out, “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”
I debated wiping her memory right then and there, but Julian was still begging me with his eyes. He wanted her to remember their time together so badly. He wanted to avoid having to start over. And a part of me wanted that too. I wanted Julian and Arianna back together, and they’d taken a huge step toward reforming their relationship tonight. With a sigh, I nodded my head toward the kitchen. “Come with me, and I’ll tell you exactly what’s going on.”
I supposed it wouldn’t hurt anything to tell Arianna, yet again, what my family was, and what predicament we were currently in. It wasn’t like she would remember for long anyway. Julian could wish for her memory to remain intact all he wanted, but it wasn’t up to him, and since Arianna didn’t remember being in love with him, it didn’t make much sense for her to remember that he was a vampire. At the very least, I’d have to wipe that part of the evening. But then how would I explain the fact that none of her friends remembered the party? Crap…I had to take it all.
Julian reached out for Arianna’s hand. She hesitated as she stared between his palm and his eyes, but then she held her fingers out. I couldn’t help but wonder if some intrinsic part of Arianna knew that Julian and I were safe, that she could trust us. I liked that thought, that somewhere deep down in her subconscious, she knew us.
With a small smile on his face, Julian led Arianna back into the main part of the house. Simon’s eyes turned into deadly daggers as they left. Not thrilled with what I was about to say, I turned to Hunter. “Stay out here with Simon. He knows too much already, no need to tell him everything.”