The Beast Within

  Stepping between us, Dad forced my grandmother and me apart. While he didn’t seem to disagree with my statement, he obviously didn’t want me to follow through with it. Fighting was against the rules in our house, so murdering someone was definitely off the table. Maybe he’d help me kick Hunter’s ass to the curb though. He shouldn’t be allowed to remain in our nest. Not after this. This went way beyond losing control and biting someone. He’d practically torn her apart.

  As I glared at Hunter, burning him to ash with the heat of my eyes, my sister stepped up to him and put a comforting hand on his stomach. Of course. Of course, she would side with him. A growl burrowed its way out of my chest as my disappointment flowed into her.

  “Julian, it’s not what you think,” she implored, her eyes and emotions begging me to calm down.

  I couldn’t calm down, not knowing what Hunter had done to Raquel, how he’d brutally tortured her. Not with how he was casting her shameful, apologetic glances. With everything I had inside of me, I wished him dead. And that was when a crossbow bolt thudded into his chest.

  Thinking I’d wished a weapon into existence made icy shock run through me. Understanding came next, quickly followed by fear. I hadn’t magically assaulted Hunter…we were being attacked.

  Everything happened at once after that. Hunter dropped to the ground. Nika shouted his name, then dropped to her knees beside him. Halina crouched in front of them, scanning the skyline. Dad pushed me back into the shadows of the doctor’s office while Mom scooped up Raquel and joined us in the darkness.

  Another bolt whizzed through the air. Listening intently, Halina tilted her head, then twisted to snatch the arrow out of the sky; it would have hit my sister right in the back if Halina hadn’t grabbed it. Much to Nika’s relief, Hunter was still alive, but he was screaming like someone was pouring acid on top of him. I didn’t understand why until Halina hissed and dropped the arrow she’d just caught. There was a familiar metallic gleam to it as it shone in the parking lot lights. Silver. The arrows were made of silver.

  Dad ordered me to stay with Mom, then zoomed toward Halina and Nika. Just then, two more arrows sailed into the sky. Halina grabbed the one heading for Hunter, but missed the one heading for her. She cried out in pain when it lodged into her side. Dad shifted his attention from Nika to Halina when she fell to her knees. Nika, still struggling with a writhing Hunter, yanked the arrow out of his chest; it must have been just an inch or two away from his heart.

  All of this happened in a minute, at the most.

  Once the arrow was removed from Hunter’s body, he stopped howling in pain. He wrapped his arms around Nika and blurred with her into a nearby patch of trees. Dad lifted Halina and jumped over the fence with her. I could tell Dad had removed Halina’s arrow when her screams stopped. An eerie silence fell over the parking lot, and terror shot up my spine as I held myself as still as possible. I had no idea what to do—run to Nika, run to Dad, or stay with Mom.

  A light moan at my feet reminded me that Mom and I weren’t alone as we huddled near the dark corner of the building. I sank to Raquel’s side, wondering what I could possibly do about her injuries, especially when I was too scared to do much more than breathe. I could feel Dad and Halina’s presence moving away from me, systematically scouting the area. I could hear my sister whispering for Hunter to come back. He was scouting too. Mom’s worried eyes took in everything around her, and I could tell she didn’t know what to do either. It didn’t help her anxiety any that Nika and I were on opposite sides of the parking lot.

  I could feel Nika’s fear as sharply as my own, but I wasn’t sure if she was scared for herself or scared for her boyfriend. Knowing her, most of her trepidation was for him. “Nika,” Mom whispered, “are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she breathed back, her voice almost inaudible.

  Eyes focused on the trees where Nika was hiding, Mom told her, “Stay where you are, don’t try to cross the lot. We don’t know how many are out there…and we don’t know where they are.”

  Nika murmured that she would sit tight while Raquel groaned again, a little louder than before. Brushing the hair from her face, I shushed her as quietly as I could. Now was not the time for her to wake up and start screaming. Her eyes stayed closed, but her head made slight jerking motions, like she was having a nightmare. I supposed she was…we all were.

  Knowing I was ruining any chance of getting back the deposit on my tux, I pulled off my jacket and ripped off the sleeves. As carefully as I could, I wrapped the black fabric around Raquel’s bloody arms. I just couldn’t stand to look at the open wounds anymore. She flinched in pain, but her eyes remained sealed shut. I wondered if she’d been drugged. Drugged, cut apart, and left out in the open. The perfect bait for a vampire.

  The longer we waited, the tenser Nika became. I figured she would wait about five more minutes, and then she’d dash off after Hunter. Mom was anxious too. She didn’t like us being separated, and she kept watching the trees around Nika, looking for any sign of danger. We could hear noise, scuffles that sounded like fighting, and even muffled cries of pain. Not knowing who they belonged to only amplified the anxiety.

  I could tell the second Dad started heading our way, and not because of my bond with him. Mom’s eyes fluttered closed, and she let out a long exhale. Dad strode into the parking lot with Halina and Hunter right behind him. He looked a little roughed up, his tuxedo jacket torn and splotched with mud, but that was about it. Of course, he healed super-fast, so any injury he might have received would have been gone by now.

  Looking my way, he called out, “It’s safe.”

  Nika had moved from her hiding place even before Dad finished speaking. She blurred to Hunter and tossed her arms around his neck. “I was so scared,” she murmured, nuzzling her head in his neck.

  Dad frowned at the pair, but kept walking toward Mom and me. Halina had a scowl on her face as she examined the hole in her clothes from the arrow. “I just bought this dress,” she huffed. Her expression softened as she glanced down at where Mom and I were trying to comfort Raquel. “How is the child?”

  I shook my head. “We need to get her to a hospital.”

  Halina nodded as I scooped up Raquel; she weighed next to nothing in my arms. She moaned as I held her to my chest, but she still didn’t open her eyes. What the hell did they do to you? Looking over to where Dad was embracing Mom, I asked, “What happened? Did you…did you get them?” I didn’t really want to know if my father had just killed someone, but I needed to know if they were still out there.

  Dad looked over at Hunter and Nika. “There were two of them…but they aren’t a problem anymore.”

  That was all I needed to know for now. Fixing my face into a mask of firmness that no one would be able to argue with, I informed my father, “Raquel needs help. I’m taking her to the ER.” By my look and tone, it was clear I meant—I’m getting her there in the fastest way possible.

  Dad grabbed my arm to stop me from blurring away. “No. Her wounds aren’t life threatening. We’ll go back to the high school and drive her.”

  My mouth fell open. “That will take forever. I could get her there in three seconds flat.”

  Dad’s face was resolute. “We’ve done enough supernatural things this evening.” He again looked over at Hunter; he had separated from Nika, and was watching with haunted eyes as my sister picked up the silver arrows. He had blood on his shirt, but it was gone from his mouth. Good thing, because I might have had to punch him if Raquel’s blood was still on his lips. Twisting back to me, Dad said, “We do this the human way.”

  Jerking my arm away, I muttered, “Fine.”

  Dad twisted back to Halina. “We’ll probably need your help. Her injuries will attract attention.”

  Halina gave him a curt nod, then looked over at Hunter. “Take him with you. I will clean up this mess; he will clean up that mess.” My guts roiled as I considered all the possible things she meant when she said “clean up.” Was she hiding dead bodies
tonight?

  Hunter shot her a look. “I don’t think—”

  Halina clenched her fists as she took a step toward him. “No, you don’t think. If you did, you wouldn’t have been so starved that you fell for one of the oldest traps in the book.” Gritting his teeth, Hunter averted his eyes. In a firm voice, she continued. “We have two situations here that need to be addressed. I cannot be in two places at once, so you will pick up the slack and start doing your part. You’re a member of this family, whether you like it or not.” She brushed past him, bumping his elbow as she went.

  Hunter swallowed as he looked over at Raquel’s limp body in my arms. I held her tighter to me and resisted the urge to growl a warning at him. He didn’t get to look at her with remorse, regret, or pity. He didn’t get to look at her at all. Nika admonished me through the bond, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t sure what had happened tonight, but I knew it was Hunter’s fault.

  As Halina zipped away to take care of…whatever mess we were leaving behind, our group started heading back to the high school. I went as fast as I could “humanly” go while carrying an unconscious woman. When we got back to the school, we avoided the gym and skimmed the shadows until we got to the parking lot. We were almost to Dad’s car, when I heard someone yell, “Julian!” I turned around to see Arianna running toward me, with Trey right behind her. Damn it. In all the chaos, I’d completely forgotten that I was on a date tonight. A date that was not supposed to end this way.

  Sighing, I slowed so she could catch up. She was huffing and puffing when she did, and her face was a picture of concern. I hadn’t explained anything when I’d run away from her. “I’ve been looking everywhere for…” Her voice trailed off as she stared down at Raquel’s limp body in my arms. The flush in her cheeks instantly faded to pale white. “Oh, my God…what’s going on?”

  Arianna couldn’t see Raquel’s wounds, not with how I’d bandaged them in my jacket sleeves. I wasn’t sure what this looked like to her, but I was sure it looked bad. “She’s hurt. We’re taking her to the hospital.” I indicated my father over my shoulder; he’d unlocked the car and was waiting for me by the open backseat door.

  Turning back to my girlfriend, I grimaced and said, “I have to go…but I’ll call you later?”

  Gaping at me in shock, she nodded. Wishing I could stay and explain, I turned my attention to Trey. He was staring at Hunter and Nika, and I swear he looked angry. “Trey.” When he didn’t respond, I kicked his leg. “Trey!” He finally looked back at me, and I tilted my head at Arianna. “Will you drive her home?”

  “Sure.” He nodded, then his eyes returned to my sister. Nika was rubbing Hunter’s back, while his gaze remained firmly locked on the doctor’s office parking lot we’d just left.

  Not able to worry about any of that right now, I hurried to the car and got inside, Raquel still tight in my arms. When Dad closed the door behind me, I risked a glance at Arianna. She still looked concerned, but there was an underlying hurt there too. The one person in the world who she felt insecure around was currently cradled in my arms. Arianna knew I loved her and only her, but even still, I had to imagine seeing me hold another woman—someone I’d once cared a lot about—wasn’t easy for her to process. I’d have to make it up to her as soon as I could.

  Dad started the car as Mom got in the front seat. When Nika didn’t get in the car with us, Dad rolled down his window. “Hunter can walk. You get in,” he told her.

  Reluctant to leave him, Nika clung to Hunter’s side. I thought Dad was going to fling open the door and drag her into the car, but Hunter twisted her to face him. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he said, “I’ll meet you there.”

  Nika raised her chin, defiance in her eyes. “You promise you’re not going to run away on me?”

  Hunter let out a sad exhale, then rested his head against hers. “Yes, I promise. I have a job to do.”

  My sister seemed satisfied with that, and finally hurried around to get inside the car. I wanted to smack her for taking her sweet time, but I was too concerned about the bleeding girl in my arms, and snapped at Dad instead. “Can we go now? Please?”

  Dad stepped on the gas and shot out of the lot, and I finally felt a bit of relief. We were finally getting Raquel some much needed care. That was probably the only good thing to come out of tonight’s multiple debacles.

  True to his word, Hunter arrived at the hospital almost at the same time we did. He was swiftly walking across the parking lot when Dad stopped the car in front of the emergency room doors. Nika immediately hopped out and rushed over to him. She hugged Hunter like she hadn’t seen him in days, and her mood overflowed with relief that he was there. It made me nauseous. We were only here because of him.

  Dad opened my door so I could get out. A nurse standing near the door noticed our arrival, and immediately came our way. “What happened?” she asked our group.

  Hunter inhaled a deep breath. Walking up to the nurse, he calmly said, “Don’t ask any more questions, don’t take down any information. Just…fix her.”

  The nurse gave him a blank look, then turned to me. “Bring her inside.”

  I’d seen my grandmother trance people, I’d even seen her wipe minds—my best friend Trey included, but I’d never seen Hunter do it. From the surprised look on his face, I didn’t think he’d ever done it before. Motioning with his hand, he indicated for me to follow the nurse through the sliding doors. I glared at him as I passed. I wasn’t two years old…I could follow directions without guidance. Especially his.

  Nika’s irritation spiked in response to my prickly mood, but I didn’t care about what she thought right now. Bypassing everyone waiting, the nurse strode us right past the registration desk, and through the doors that led to the exam rooms. A few people looked our way, but nobody stopped us. And it wouldn’t have mattered if they had. We had our own personal Simon Says leader. Everyone in here was or could be under Hunter’s control. And that did not sit well with me.

  Stepping around a privacy curtain, I placed Raquel on the fresh white sheet covering the bed; it smelled like antiseptic in here, and it stung my sensitive sinuses. Raquel’s normally tanned cheeks looked pale to me, even more so against the stark fabric. “Her arms are pretty cut up. She probably lost a lot of blood. And I think she’s been drugged.”

  The nurse peeled off the strips of my jacket that I’d wrapped around her arms. She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask any questions about the slashes on Raquel’s arms. The smell of blood thickened in the room as her wounds were exposed. Hunter groaned, then turned away.

  “If you can’t handle it, why don’t you leave?” I quipped.

  Nika slugged me in the shoulder, which Mom reprimanded her for. Standing tall, Hunter twisted back to where the nurse was cleaning the blood away. “I can handle this,” he stated.

  Under my breath, I muttered, “If that were true, we wouldn’t be here.”

  Nika slugged me again, and this time Dad pulled her away from me. “He didn’t have anything to do with this, Julian. We found her cut up like that,” Nika told me.

  Tired of getting smacked, I turned to face Nika. “So, he didn’t cut her. But he drank from her, right?” Leaning around my sister, I hissed at Hunter, “How close did you get to killing her?”

  A low growl echoed around the room as Hunter took a step toward me. Even though he looked weary enough to drop at any moment, he was an intimidating sight with his fangs fully extended and fiery heat in his eyes. He was also taller, older, and more muscular; I suddenly felt about ten years old standing next to him. Reflexively, I took a step back. His expression cautious, Dad stepped in front of me while Nika stepped in front of Hunter. I shot Nika a cool glance. We’d always been on the same side before, a united front. But now that Hunter was in the picture… Was this how we were going to be from now on?

  Perhaps feeling the tension in the room, the nurse tending to Raquel looked up. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped when she saw Hunter’s fangs. He immediat
ely noticed the nurse’s reaction and said, “Don’t scream.”

  She closed her mouth, but she still looked terrified. Pulling his fangs up, Hunter sheepishly told her, “You didn’t see any of that. You didn’t hear any of that. Just keep working on her.”

  Dad put a hand on my chest and lightly pushed me back. “I’ll think we’ll wait outside.” Hunter nodded, and, grabbing my bicep, Dad started pulling me away. I resisted at first, but Dad eventually won the battle. At the door, he stopped, turned, and walked back to grab Nika’s arm. She squeaked as he pulled her toward the door too. “I think we’ll all wait outside.”

  A satisfied smile finally stretched across my lips. Feeling my vindication, Nika looked like she wanted to go all Mom-zilla on me again. Since I was in a bit of a mood too, I welcomed it. Mom followed us out into the hallway. Mom and Dad glanced at each other, and some silent conversation passed between them. Nodding, Mom said, “I’ll take the kids home. You stay here with Hunter and the girl.”

  Dad sighed, then leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. Cupping her cheek, he whispered, “I love you,” in Russian.

  Mom melted as she smiled up at him. “I’m so glad they didn’t hurt you,” she told him.

  Her words reminded me just what had happened tonight. Some of my anger faded as I watched my parents. I couldn’t imagine losing either of them. I couldn’t imagine losing anyone in my family. And it could have happened tonight. Because of Hunter, it could have happened. My anger instantly returned.

  After a few more tender words and kisses, my parents finally separated. Nika instantly started objecting as Mom pushed us toward the exit. I joined her. “I need to stay, Mom. I can’t leave until I know Raquel’s all right.”