Chapter 31
Thirty-One
Blake
We moved as a group to the cabin, which I was relieved to see had two bedrooms. The tension was already high between Marlon and Josiah as everyone walked around the space and chose where they would spend the night.
“I’m going to get our bag out of the truck,” I said to Marlon. The sun was just starting to brighten the sky on the horizon, so I hurried out to the truck and was both relieved and happy when Marlon took the bag from me.
“I won’t harm Josiah or his mate,” he murmured close to my ear.
I cupped his cheek in my hand and nodded. “We should get inside. I’d rather not find out what burning feels like.”
“One star. Would not recommend,” Marlon said as we closed the door to the cabin. Elias was just closing the blinds and turned to us.
“Where did you learn that?” I asked Marlon.
“What do you mean?” he said even though I knew he knew exactly what I meant.
“I can stay down here. You two take the other bedroom,” Elias said and turned on the television. A door closing upstairs told me Josiah and Mark had moved to a room already. “He’s trying to avoid you.”
“As well he should,” Marlon mumbled. “But I have no need to harm him or his mate. We’ll all need to work together if we’re going to destroy a witch who has been alive longer than most of the vampires in this cabin.”
“Very wise of you,” Elias said from the couch where he’d plopped down and curled up on his side. I still couldn’t get used to the fact that he was older than me by a lot and possibly even older than Marlon but still looked like a child. His eyes met mine, and I knew he’d heard my thoughts.
“Sorry, I forgot,” I said, making him grin.
“Your thoughts aren’t nearly as loud as the newborn upstairs,” he said and pointed up. “He feels betrayed by his mate and resents the fact he wasn’t left to die.”
“I thought you couldn’t read my thoughts?” I asked.
“Only at times,” he admitted.
“But you can read Mark?”
“Yes, he’s only been a vampire less than a month, so with the change and what the witch put him through, there is a lot of confusion, like you feel but a lot worse,” Elias whispered.
“He truly wishes he’d died.” He said that last part so low I barely heard him, and hopefully spared Josiah’s feelings.
“I felt that way too,” Marlon said. “I never wanted this life. It took everything from me, and for decades it forced me to be an animal.”
I took his hand and held it close to my chest. No words were spoken for a moment because no words would make up for all he’d gone through. The only thing I could offer now was my love. “You have me now,” I finally said.
“You are all I exist for,” he said, and I ignored how dramatic that sounded. He was dramatic and intense. But he was mine, and I understood how much pain he’d been through both emotionally and physically, and I’d fight by his side or defend him against anything that tried to harm him.
Elias looked away, and I knew he’d heard my thoughts but chose not to comment. Marlon’s fist clenched as he struggled to control his hate, anger, and murderous thoughts while still realizing we would need to work together.
“We need a plan,” I finally said.
That snapped Marlon out of his rage, and the three of us sat down and strategized. “We can’t wait for them to find another vampire. Not that there are that many of us around who are as old as she seems to prefer. But there are more of us around here than you would expect,” Marlon said.
“You can feel them?” I asked.
“Not directly, but I can sense them,” Marlon said.
“It’s that sense that keeps us alive,” Elias said. “We’ll need to strike away from the trap they’ve laid. I won’t risk going back into that area. They leave often and don’t live there, so it’s just a matter of setting up a perimeter and catching them either when they’re returning or leaving.”
“What do we do when we catch them?” I asked.
“We make sure they never leave there,” Josiah said as he and Mark walked down the stairs and stood there.
“Marlon, I know I’ve apologized, but I need you to know I deeply regret everything I did to you.
I realize now you were not the monster she made you out to be, and even if we were not mates, we loved each other.
Maybe that would have been enough, maybe not.
But I shouldn’t have taken the choice away from you, and I—”
“Shouldn’t have buried me and left me in a dark hole I couldn’t escape?” Marlon asked.
“No, I shouldn’t have.” His expression didn’t give away any of his true emotions, but I was growing used to the way vampires didn’t show emotion through a smile or even a snarl.
They showed emotion on a visceral level, and with very little warning you could lose your head or find yourself mated to one of them.
“Why should I trust you now? How do we know you won’t run to the witch and tell her our plans?” Marlon asked.
“Because if he does, I’ll let you destroy me,” Mark said and stepped forward. “I never asked for this life, and even though I’m pulled to Josiah in a way I cannot resist, I won’t stand back and allow any other humans to be harmed.”
“You cannot—” Josiah began and was cut off by a wave of a hand from Mark.
“It’s my choice. I won’t be used by them again,” he said. Josiah moved to his side and soothed his hand until Mark unclenched it enough to allow him to hold it.
“I love you, and I’ll do whatever you need me to do,” he said to everyone in the room, but his eyes were only on Mark.
“As I was saying,” Elias said and looked at each of us. “We’ll need to attack her before they’re able to get more blood. The humans who help her will lose their ability within a day or two, while she’ll gradually weaken. But it should give us enough of a chance to attack and hopefully destroy her.”
“What about the humans?” Mark asked.
“They are lost. If we let them live, they know about our existence, and a part of them will always be tied to her,” Elias said.
“How do you know all this? I mean, you’re a kid,” Mark said. Elias stood and walked over to him. Josiah moved in front of Mark, but he pushed him aside and knelt down to speak to Elias.
“This is the age I was turned, but I’m older than you could ever imagine, and stronger than everyone in this room besides Marlon. If you want to keep your head and live past sunrise tomorrow, I suggest you learn some respect,” Elias said, and showed his fangs.
I forced myself not to flinch away. There was an innate sense in me that told me he was not a vampire to mess with, and I trusted that sense. Mark leaned back and almost fell before Josiah caught him.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” Mark said.
Instantly Elias was transformed and gone were his fangs and that sense of power that made him terrifying. “I know, but now you do. Don’t forget it,” he said and looked at Mark and then Josiah. “If either of you tries to betray us, I won’t hesitate to end you.”
“I’ll do whatever you need me to do,” Mark said, and Josiah nodded. Their bond was strong, and whether they wanted it or not, there was no denying it.
“When the sun sets tonight, we’ll go to the rocky crevice where they have their trap set,” I said and repeated everything Elias had said earlier.
“What if they’re waiting for us?” Josiah asked.
“Then we wait for the opportunity and we destroy them,” Marlon said.
“Does she have other powers?” Mark asked.
Elias, Marlon, and I looked at each other. We only knew what we’d experienced, and it wasn’t much. “She could have. We’ll just need to be ready and stick together,” Marlon said.
“Five vampires against one witch and any humans she may have with her shouldn’t be a hard fight,” Josiah said.
“Don’t let her fool you. She’s old and has survived all this time because of the blood of vampires. You’d be smart to never forget that fact,” Elias said.