Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
Blake
We drove deeper into central Oregon, and I wondered if we were gaining any ground on Josiah, or if he could lose us. “Do you still think he’s alone?” I asked.
Marlon closed his eyes and concentrated. A part of me hated that he was connected on this level with anyone who wasn’t me, but hopefully once Josiah was ash that connection would disappear like dust on the wind. “I can’t tell. He’s still moving away from us, and his path has not wavered.”
“I hope we’re able to catch up to him,” I said and refused to think about what would happen if we couldn’t.
“We will, love. His days are numbered,” Marlon said.
“You should not trust what you think you can feel. He could be traveling with one or more vampires who would be more than happy to help him tear you apart,” Elias said. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that he was older—far older—than Marlon and seemed to know much more.
“Why would there be so many?” Marlon asked.
Elias grinned up at him. “Much has changed, vampire.”
“What do you mean?” Marlon asked with an edge of a snarl in his words.
“There are far more of us now than there were when you first walked as a child of the night. For many years, untrained vampires changed humans without knowing what they were doing or understanding why more vampires was something to be discouraged. Our kind is very territorial and will fight for the blood we think we hold claim to.”
“How many?” Marlon asked.
“Far more than you realize.”
“Marlon, how long until sunrise?” I asked. I could sense it was coming, but Marlon knew exactly how long before the sun breached the horizon.
“A few hours,” Marlon said, but his attention was on something else.
“That should put us inside Washington. If we didn’t waste so much time hunting and chatting, we’d be inside Canada,” Elias said.
“Chatting was important,” Marlon said. “You must know by now trust does not come easy for me. The one human I trusted made sure to hurt me in ways I still cannot imagine or forgive. I want to trust you, Elias, but I will do all I can to destroy you if you show me you are not truthful.” He turned then to look at Elias, and I didn’t need to see his face to know he wore a look of warning.
“If I wanted to destroy you or your mate, you’d already be gone. I’ve told you this already. I mean you no harm,” Elias said.
“Why would you want to help us?” I asked.
He grinned. That little boy grin I had to force myself not to trust. “Because you two are not the biggest threat around here,” he said.
“We need to stop for gas soon,” I said, and turned the radio on. There would be plenty of time for them to debate who was the worst vampire.
A few hours later, Portland was behind us, and we crossed into Washington. “How will we get across the border?” I asked. I’d never crossed before, and I wasn’t sure how that worked.
“I’ve crossed many times,” Elias said.
“In a vehicle?” I asked.
“No, it’s easier if we cross on foot, but we’ll need to hurry if we’re going to find safety from the sun,” Elias said.
“We’ll get as close to the border as we can and leave the truck before going it on foot. I’ll find us a hotel—”
“No need, we’ll find something,” Marlon said.
“Why am I afraid to ask what that could be,” I said and kept driving.
“It’s best not to ask too many questions,” Elias said. “That’s the human in you. Vampires usually wait until they’re in trouble to ask questions.”
“He’s not wrong,” Marlon said, and the three of us chuckled.
“Where do you stay, Elias?” I asked and glanced down at him.
“There are many abandoned cabins in the woods you found me in. It’s been easy for me to live there and never see a human.”
“Do you ever leave that area?”
“There is no reason to. I have all the food I need there, and I have no desire to be around humans. They see me as a helpless child, and I was bored with that persona centuries ago. It’s easier to avoid them. There is nothing I need that is not provided by the forest.”
“I guess I can’t argue with that, but don’t you get lonely?” I asked.
A look passed between Marlon and him before the two of them grinned. “Never. We’re meant to be solitary creatures, which is why when we do end up in the same place as another of our species, one of us ends up dead,” Marlon answered.
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand that. It would be easier to work together, and if you’re not mated, at least you’d have companionship. You had to be lonely at times, Elias,” I said.
“It all comes down to competition for food. Vampires have a need to always be the top predator, which is also why they never willingly changed humans. Now, it seems that it has changed. Or maybe it’s just the way it was for Josiah,” Marlon said, as I struggled to hold back my reaction to him using that name.
We stopped again for gas an hour into Washington and continued. The freeway skirted most small towns, and I was thrilled to finally see the signs for Seattle and even happier to see it in the rearview mirror. “We’re close, love,” Marlon murmured.
“When we get to Blaine, we’ll find a safe place to park your truck, and we’ll cross the border. From there, our priority will be to find a safe place to wait out the night,” Elias said.
“How do you know where?” I asked. I hadn’t traveled this far north before, and I had no idea where to stop or where we’d be crossing, but somehow this vampire knew.
“I’ve traveled all over this country and many more. When you’ve lived as long as I have, you have lots of time to see what else is out there,” Elias said.
“That sounds nice. I always dreamed of traveling, but I never got the chance,” I said, and tried to remember if I had traveled at all. Some of my memories were crystal clear, while others were hidden behind a heavy layer of smoke or fog.
“We can do whatever you like, but this is a conversation we should have later,” Marlon said.
We took the first exit to Blaine, and Elias guided us down a quiet street that led to the edge of town. “Turn here,” he said and indicated a narrow road that was little more than a path. “Pull up there.”
Ahead of us was a wide, flat area where it seemed a structure had been at some point or it had been cleared for one. “Are you sure this is okay?” I asked.
“Yes, no one comes out here anymore,” Elias said, and the tone of his voice held an edge of sadness.
“Did you live here?” I asked, and he slowly nodded.
“For a time,” he said.
I parked the truck, and none of us moved. Finally, Marlon opened the passenger door. “We need to move. There’s only a couple of hours before dawn.” He was at my side instantly and opened the door for me. “I need you, love,” he whispered.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
Elias wandered away for a moment, and Marlon pulled me into his arms. “Please be careful. We have no way of knowing what we’re walking into. I know you trust Elias, but there is always reason to be cautious,” he whispered in my ear.
“I will, I swear,” I said, not sure what else to say.
“Come, we must find a place to stay.”
I slipped my backpack onto my back and locked the truck before hurrying along the same path Elias had taken. Things were even stranger now Elias had joined us. Marlon was more on edge, and the path ahead was unknown. But one thing still held true: I’d follow Marlon wherever he went.