Family Is Forever

  The guy beneath her seemed to think so too. His eyes were wide and his fangs were long as he struggled to break her grasp. He couldn’t though. He was clearly no match for my sister, and I began to wonder if he truly was a pureblood.

  “Where is Simon?” Nika snarled.

  From behind me, Arianna quietly whispered, “She said there were two. Where’s the other one?”

  Good question. My eyes kept a steady lookout as my sister interrogated the prisoner. Since he hadn’t answered her question, she lifted his head, and then smacked it into the earth. “I said, where is Simon?”

  The vampire beneath her growled, but didn’t answer. On the other side of them, another vampire broke through the cover of trees. This one didn’t bother with brute force football tactics. He just raised a gun at Nika and fired. Arianna screamed as the muffled shot rang out. I felt Dad’s form immediately start streaking our way, and figured some of the others were coming too, unless they were entangled in fights of their own.

  Nika leapt off the vampire beneath her, and the bullets struck him instead. A circle of dark red blood stained his white shirt around each bullet hole, turning him into a horrifying work of art. He didn’t move; one of the bullets must have pierced his heart. I couldn’t dwell on it though, because vampire number two had shifted his gun to Arianna and me. I picked her up again, and dashed to the side, just as he fired. I felt the difference in the air pressure as the bullets whizzed past me, and the fully healed wound in my thigh started throbbing with phantom pain. Too close. Much too close.

  My heart thudded in my chest as I debated how to stop this armed madman. He had the aim of a hunter and the reflexes of a vampire: ruthlessness laced with deadliness. His arm followed my movement, blurring as he tracked me. I could tell that he knew how to compensate for my speed, and when he fired, he was gonna hit me. But then Nika ran in front of him, and he switched targets. I wanted to scream at my sister to not be stupid; I also wanted to thank her for possibly saving my life.

  The guy fired at Nika, and I watched in horror as she stumbled and fell to the ground. Arianna screamed again, and I forced the worry for my sister from my mind so I could save my girlfriend. Several feet away from the shooter, I ran into Dad carrying Ben. He set Ben down and streaked off toward Nika. He’d heard her yelp when she’d been hit, same as me.

  Setting Arianna down, I handed her to Ben. “Protect her,” I exclaimed, before turning to follow Dad. Arianna screamed my name, begging me to stay, but I couldn’t. My sister was hurt and alone.

  Well, not quite alone. When I got there, Hunter was wrestling the shooter for the gun. Dad blurred over to help him, while I rushed over to Nika. Sliding to my knees beside her, I searched her body for clues. All I could see and smell was the blackish blood covering the front of her dress…and I swear it was heaviest right over her heart. I started hyperventilating. I couldn’t lose my sister right after getting my girlfriend back. The universe couldn’t possibly be that cruel.

  Scooping Nika into my arms, I debated what to do. I couldn’t give her CPR, I couldn’t bandage her wounds, try to stop the bleeding, the wound had already healed shut. I couldn’t even check her pulse to see if she was weak or steady. She was already dead, so none of those human techniques would help me.

  The gun went off three more times. I cringed each time the muffled blast pierced the air. It would be almost silent to humans, but to me it was like thunder and lightning cracking apart the night sky. When the gun finally went silent, I couldn’t look to see the aftermath, to see if any more of my family was hurt…or dead. All I could do was focus on my sister.

  “Nick? Nick, wake up. Snap out of it.” She had to be dazed…that had to be it.

  Hunter blurred to us, and brief exhale of relief hit me. He was okay. He didn’t look okay though. He looked frazzled, scared out of his mind. Eyes rimmed with blood, he grabbed Nika from my arms. “Baby? Baby, please, talk to me.” He held her close to his chest. “Talk to me…”

  When she didn’t, a sob escaped him, and he started repeating, “No, no, no…not like this. I just got you back…”

  “Oh God…”

  I looked up to see Dad staring down at the three of us. His face was an expression of disbelief, horror and confusion. His shirt was sprayed with blood spatter, but he didn’t seem injured. A quick glance showed me the crumpled body of the second vampire. Guess they’d gotten him. Good. Nika’s murder should be avenged. Jesus…she couldn’t be dead. Not dead-dead.

  Dad took a step toward Nika’s body. “Nika…? Can you hear me? Please say yes.” That last part was said in a reverent whisper that was clearly a prayer.

  “Dad, how do we know if she’s…?” I couldn’t even bring myself to say it.

  Hunter’s tortured gaze snapped to me. As a tear of dark red blood trailed from one eye, he snarled, “She’s not. She’s fine.”

  I was about to tell him that clearly she wasn’t fine since she wasn’t responding, when she gasped and her eyes sprang open. Hunter looked both relieved and smug that he was right. I didn’t care, I only cared that she was okay. Rushing forward, Dad squatted beside Hunter. “You okay, Nika?” He examined her chest like he could see the bullet through her skin.

  Nika shook her head. “No…that really freaking hurt!” Her trembling fingers came up to touch what must have been the entry point. When she pulled them back and saw the blood coating the tips, she groaned, then cursed. “Damn it. I’m never going to be able to wear this dress again.”

  A nervous laugh escaped Hunter, then he pulled her tight. “Don’t ever do that again, okay?”

  Nika nodded as she cuddled into his side. “Yeah, I think I’ve died enough for one lifetime.”

  When Hunter finally relaxed his grip on her, I slugged her in the arm. Hunter growled at me, but I ignored him. Hitting my sister when she was acting foolish was well within my brotherly rights. “And don’t ever step in front of a bullet for me again. Although…thank you for doing that. I really don’t ever want to be shot again.”

  Nika laughed as Hunter helped her to her feet. “I had to, Julie. I’m more resilient than you.”

  “Don’t be all braggy ‘cause you’re dead,” I scoffed.

  She swayed on her feet, and both Dad and Hunter helped steady her. She assured them she was fine, just in shock, but Dad shook his head. “You have a bullet resting near your heart. It needs to be removed before it does serious damage.” He cringed. “Sorry, sweetheart, but your pain isn’t over yet.”

  If my sister hadn’t already been pale before, Dad’s words would have made her ghostly white. As it was, her eyes widened, her mouth parted, and she started breathing heavier. Dad squeezed her arm. “It’s best not to think about it.”

  I was positive that not thinking about your chest being cut open wasn’t a possibility, and as selfish as it sounded, I was glad our bond was broken and I wasn’t going to have to feel her torment. Just looking at her anxiety was bad enough.

  Ben and Arianna trotted into our section of the woods while we comforted Nika. Ben immediately started searching the dead vampire with the gun. Arianna ran to my side, tossing her arms around me. “I was so scared,” she breathed into my skin.

  I held her close, savoring her warmth and comfort. She went stiff in my arms. When she pulled back, her eyes were locked on Nika. “Are you…okay?”

  Nika gave her a small smile. “Nothing a little open heart surgery won’t fix.” Arianna’s look of concern didn’t change any, and Nika put a hand on her arm. “I’m fine. I’m already dead, bullets don’t hurt me.”

  That wasn’t entirely true, but none of us were about to tell Arianna that.

  A couple of minutes later, Rory, Cleo, and Jake joined our group from behind. They were all winded—clearly having run the entire way after Dad had vanished with Ben. I instantly felt bad that they didn’t have a reliable way to move at our speed.

  Dad was filling them in on what had happened, when I heard a rustling sound coming from the woods in front of Ben. A m
oment of panic washed through me, until I remembered Nika saying that she’d only smelled two vampires in this direction. It was probably Trey. Maybe he’d gotten lost following Hunter, and he’d shot past us. That was possible. Or it could be Gabriel. Halina’s form was still streaking to the east. I’d assumed he’d gone after her, but there was always a chance he hadn’t. Ben wasn’t taking any chances though. Gun raised, he stood his ground like he could take on anything that emerged from the woods…like he could take on the world.

  A figure emerged just as Ben cocked the gun. Olivia stumbled out of the woods, brushing away twigs and branches as she walked. Fearing that Ben would shoot her, I just about had a coronary. He had quick reflexes for a human though, and he disengaged the gun and tossed it to the ground before running to scoop up his daughter.

  He didn’t make it to her, though, because she blurred into his arms first.

  Ben was so ecstatic to have her back that he didn’t seem to notice her speed. While he swept her into a giant bear hug, her feet leaving the ground, I looked around at everyone watching. Had they seen that? By the shocked expressions, I was guessing they had. “Dad…she’s…”

  Dad’s lips pressed into a firm line, and he responded before I could finish. “Yeah, I know.”

  With a sigh, Dad started walking up to Ben and Olivia. The rest of us followed him. My mood was twisting from relief to revulsion so fast, it would have made Nika nauseous if we were still connected. How could anyone turn a girl that young into a vampire? It wasn’t right, and it definitely wasn’t fair. She hadn’t even reached her teens, and now she was frozen in time. Tracey was going to flip, and she’d already been hovering on the edge of madness.

  Ben was laughing, crying, and kissing her head when we approached. He’d set Olivia back down on her feet and was kneeling in front of her; he still hadn’t seemed to notice her changes. And he should have—her fangs were dropped.

  Dad put a hand on his shoulder. “Ben…”

  Ben glanced up at Dad with euphoria on his face. “She’s alive, Teren. We found her!”

  Dad grit his teeth, glanced at Olivia, and then returned his eyes to Ben. “Look at her, Ben.”

  Ben was confused, but he did as Dad said. He shot to his feet when he finally noticed what we already had…that she wasn’t human anymore. “No… She’s a child… No!” There was heat in his voice, and I knew if Henry were here right now, Ben would have choked the life out of him barehanded. “How could he—?”

  Olivia knew what he meant and interrupted him. “I volunteered, Daddy. I had Henry make me a vampire so I could find you. I’m not a full one, though. None of us are, so I’m still pretty much just like you, but with these cool pointy teeth! Feel ‘em!” She opened her mouth wide so Ben could touch her very sharp canines. He didn’t though, he was still processing what she’d just said. Olivia was a chatterbox on a good day, and now she had super speed to make her speech almost imperceptibly fast.

  “You volunteered? Not a full vampire…? I don’t understand.”

  Nika stepped forward then, her head tilted. “She’s right…her heart is still beating.” She looked over at Dad with scrunched eyebrows. “I was too preoccupied during the fight to know for sure, but I think those vampires had heartbeats too.” She blinked in astonishment. “He did it, Dad. Henry made mixed vampires.”

  Shock was the first thing I felt. Then relief. Olivia could still grow up, she wasn’t stuck. Dad’s hands curled into fists as he processed the news. “He made mixed vampires…with Starla and Jacen’s blood. And who knows how much he used…how weak they are now.” Dad turned back to Olivia. “Is Starla…is she okay? Is Jacen?”

  Olivia nodded. “Last I saw, yeah.” She cringed, like she knew she wasn’t being entirely truthful.

  Dad exhaled in relief. “Thank God. We weren’t sure Starla would still be… We were worried about her. She has…a medical condition.” Olivia opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was scared to say it. Dad asked another question before she gathered her courage. “Do you know how many vampires he’s made with their blood?”

  Olivia shook her head. “No, I’m not in the inner circle yet, but they’re starting to trust me.” She shifted her gaze back to her dad. “See, I told them you guys had kidnapped me too, like Simon and that guy,” she pointed at Jake. “I told them I was immune to vampire compulsion same as them, and you guys wanted me locked up because of it. I even said Starla and Jacen were my captors.” She frowned. “I felt bad lying about that, because I love Starla and Jacen, but I needed Simon and Henry to trust me. And they did believe me, but not right away. I volunteered to join their army—” she snorted with a laugh when she said army, like the entire concept was ridiculous to her, “—so they would trust me and I could escape, to get back to you and Mom.”

  Ben seemed flabbergasted that she’d done all that. I was too. And confused. Because the faint amount of vampire blood in her system made her naturally immune to compulsion, we’d been extra careful to make sure she was always left out of the loop. “How did you know what to say to them? How did you know about vampires? About compulsion? About Simon and Jake? How did you know…anything?” I asked her.

  Olivia put her hands on her hips as she gave me an insolent glare. “I’m not stupid, and you guys aren’t as clever or as quiet as you think. I’ve known for a while what you guys were. I think it’s awesome, and now I’m one of you!” She pointed at her teeth, just in case we’d missed it. Beaming, she looked back at her dad. “Pretty smart, huh?”

  Ben smiled, then pulled her into him. “Yeah, pretty smart, kiddo.”

  Jake’s patience had worn thin by this point. “Why is Henry building a vampire army? For what purpose?”

  Olivia didn’t seem sure how to answer him. “Well…most armies are built to either defend or attack. I don’t know which one he’s planning on doing, but I do know his first mission is rescuing you. Well, that’s Simon’s mission anyway, and Henry is going along with it. Mainly because Simon brings him volunteers, I think.”

  “Simon…brings him people…to turn…?” Jake was more stunned about this than the fact that Olivia was a vampire.

  She shrugged. “Yeah. He goes to parties like this with some beefy vampire backup, hands out that drug with compulsion-be-gone in it, then tells the kids to meet him somewhere when they want more. The ones who show up get convinced to be turned. Or they will be convinced, I guess. This is only the second party we’ve done.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And I was supposed to help, but Simon made me stay in the car with that asshole.” She pointed to the vampire who’d shot Nika.

  Ben looked pissed, but Jake was suddenly excited. “So Simon really was here! Where did he go?” He grabbed Olivia by the shoulders. “Where is he?” he screeched.

  Dad and Ben moved to get him off her, but Olivia shoved him away. He landed on his butt, three feet away from her. While Jake sprang to his feet, Olivia looked at her hands like she was surprised. “Please…where is he? He’s my son…”

  His voice was so strained that Olivia’s expression softened. “I don’t know. He didn’t come back this way.”

  Jake sighed and looked at the dead vampire on the ground. “Is Simon…? Did he do the procedure? Is he like that now?” He pointed to the vampire, his face twisted in disgust.

  Looking offended, Olivia raised her chin. “Yeah. He was the first volunteer. That’s how I knew it worked.”

  Letting out a soft curse, Jake closed his eyes. “Stupid kid,” he muttered under his breath.

  “He just loves you…wants you safe,” she said, her voice quiet.

  Jake’s eyes flashed open. “I am safe!” All of us turned to look at him in surprise. This was the first time he’d admitted that we weren’t spawns of evil. Meeting our eyes, he amended his statement. “Well, I’m safer than he is, hanging around Henry.”

  Olivia nodded, and rubbed her arms like she was cold. “Yeah, that guy freaks me out. Which is why I have to go
back,” she said, locking eyes with Ben.

  He immediately told her, “No.”

  Olivia’s face scrunched into an expression of parental annoyance. “I have to, Dad. It’s the only way to save Starla, Jacen and Simon.”

  Ben crossed his arms over his chest in a stance that clearly said, This isn’t happening. “No. You’re going to the ranch, and I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

  Jake held his hand out to Ben. “Don’t be stupid, she’s the only one who knows where their lab is.”

  Olivia started dragging her toe in the ground. “Well…actually…they blindfolded me, so I don’t know exactly where it is, but I can go to the meeting point and join up with everyone.” Thinking of something, she sighed. “Actually…those two knew the meeting point. They hadn’t told me yet. I guess I can’t rejoin Simon. I can’t save Starla and Jacen…”

  That admission clearly bothered her. Her eyes started misting, and then a clear tear rolled down her cheek. Not a full vampire’s blood-red tear, like Hunter and Nika, but completely normal, like a mixed vampire. It made me wonder who had sired her, and if the bond was in place, or if the transfusion had messed that up. “Who made you?” I asked her.

  She seemed confused. “Henry?”

  I shook my head. “No, whose vampire blood? Starla or Jacen? Can you feel either one of them? Do you know where they are?”

  Jake had grown disheartened while she’d been explaining her limitations, but he was excited again as he waited for her answer. Olivia glanced at all of us with eyes that suddenly looked very guilty. “I was one of the few that they made with Starla’s blood. They’d take a little bit from her each day, so she didn’t bleed to death…but that was before...” She swallowed. “I can’t feel her now. Not since the transfusion.”

  Dad looked around the group, but none of us knew what she was talking about. “What transfusion?”

  Olivia inhaled a deep breath, then let it out with slow resignation. “Starla told Henry that she had to take a shot of medicine every day or she wouldn’t convert…whatever that means. She told him that was why she was still alive, still aging, but Jacen was dead and would always look young.” Her eyes widened. “I had no idea that was why she looks so old and the rest of you don’t.”