Chapter 27
When I came to, I wasn’t sure exactly where I was. I shifted, finding hard, unforgiving concrete beneath me. With each beat of my heart, pain coursed through my body. Still, I somehow found it in me to sit up. I reached up to the back of my head, my hand coming away wet and sticky with blood.
The space was dark and damp, and combined with the concrete, I guessed I was in a garage but in the pitch black, I couldn’t even begin to identify where . Though something about the place seemed oddly familiar. The ringing in my ears was deafening. I brought my legs underneath me in an attempt to stand—only to fall back down, landing painfully on my ass. My limbs felt like lead. Centering myself, I scooted to my right, carefully feeling out to the side with my hand. Every time I came up empty, my heart sank a little more.
Yes !
Finally, my hand connected with an automatic garage door. That at least meant I was in a house. Relieved, I paused to gather myself. My bloody hand rested on one leg while I mustered the strength to try again. I had to stand up—I had to.
There were too many lives at stake.
After a few measured breaths, I planted my hands to either side of my hips. Gritting my teeth and letting out a snarl of pain, I pushed myself up, not stopping until I was on my feet. Though I stumbled slightly, I managed to remain upright. With my hands on my knees, blood seeping through the denim of my jeans and trickling down the back of my neck, I tried to wait out the nausea. Then I straightened up. My past experience with head injuries warned me the nausea was something I’d just have to deal with.
Fighting the urge to pass out again, I rotated slowly. My boots scraped against the concrete and I winced. The noise likely seemed louder to me, but I didn’t want to tip off anyone who might be lurking in the shadows that I’d regained consciousness. I groped along the wall, navigating around various yard tools and garage-related obstacles—no doubt leaving a streak of blood along the wall worthy of any horror movie—until my fingers curled around a wooden door frame. I cautiously reached for the metal knob—it was cold, which meant they hadn’t resorted to setting the place on fire.
Yet.
I leaned in, pressing my ear to the wood. I couldn’t hear anything from the other side, but that didn’t necessarily mean that there was nothing there.
I tried the knob, turning my hand slowly and feeling it give. To my surprise, there was nothing blocking it either. Whoever had put me here, they were confident—or stupid—enough to think they wouldn’t have to restrain or barricade the door.
It was even darker in the house than it was in the garage. I took a step and cringed, my heavy winter boots squeaking against linoleum—I was in a kitchen. The dark and quiet of the house gave me enough confidence to pause to take in my surroundings. I knew this kitchen. At least in here, the faint moonli ght streaming in through the window gave me some light to work with. The modern appliances that couldn’t have been more than a few years old, the crisp white cabinets, and the spacious butcher’s block island set right in the middle… this was James’s kitchen. Letting out a sigh of relief, I started to move again, but not before grabbing the first weapon I could find and sliding it into my back pocket. I’d been at his place a few times but I was working entirely off of muscle memory and the little light that I had. Fuck, how long was I out?
The rest of the house was eerily quiet. Something wasn’t right. I took each step slowly. I felt for the edge of the kitchen counter, using that to guide me around the perimeter of the space and toward the open dining area. From there, I’d be able to find my way back to the living room.
But as I rounded the corner, my stomach lurched. A shape lay crumpled in the middle of the floor. I froze, searching for any sign of movement. Nothing. Though it was so dark I wasn’t confident I’d be able to see something anyway. I stumbled into the room, falling to my knees next to the body.
Kian. He was on his side, face in the carpet. I steeled myself, though I wasn’t sure any amount of mental preparation would be enough if he was…
Before I was quite ready, I gently grabbed his shoulder and rolled him onto his back. Damn it, it was still too dark for me to see if his chest moved.
“Kian,” I whispered, leaning down to determine whether I could feel his breath. I let out a sigh of relief when a soft exhalation warmed my cheek. Grabbing his shoulders again, I gave him a gentle shake. “Kian!”
This time he stirred, groaning and attempting to sit up.
“Don’t move,” I told him. “Not yet.”
“What happened? Where am I?” he mumbled, words slurring as if his tongue was too big for his mouth .
“We’re in James’s house.” I brushed his hair away from his face, my hands coming away sticky. “You got hit in the head.”
“I did?”
“Pretty hard it seems. Where’s James?”
Kian was able to pry his eyes open, blinking and trying to come to terms with the darkness. “Dunno… feel sick.”
“You probably have a concussion. You mean James didn’t bring you here?”
Kian’s eyes widened, taking in my appearance as they adjusted to the dark. “There’s blood all over your face,” he said, gulping.
“I don’t doubt it.” I worked an arm around his shoulders, helping him into a sitting position. “Listen: I want you to get out of here. The moment you can stand, I want you to leave the house and get as far away as you can.”
“What about you?”
“I need to find James.”
“Hell no!” he shouted, too loud. He lowered his voice when I shushed him. “I’m not leaving you alone to deal with my mess.” He looked down. “I’m more involved in this than you think. I need to help you. Please.”
I closed my eyes against another wave of pain. That was as good as a confession from him, as far as the gems were concerned, but I didn’t have it in me to argue. “Is there anything I can do to change your mind?”
“Not a chance.”
“Fine,” I relented with a sigh. “But at least stay here while I scope out the rest of the house.”
“I don’t think I could move yet if I wanted to.”
I pushed to my feet, making sure he was stable enough to keep sitting.
Then I paused: we weren’t alone.
It was too dark to make out much of their appearance. Unlike the kitchen, the shades in the living room blocked out the natural light. Two figures stood shrouded in darkness, invisible except for one thing: like cats in the night, two pairs of blood red eyes stared back at me. Vampires.
I felt Kian shift behind me, but I grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back to the ground. “Stay there.”
They giggled in unison, and it churned my stomach. I’d seen this movie before; I didn’t like it then either.
“What do you want?” I asked them.
“Easy,” the one on the left said. “Just leave.”
I scoffed. “Really?”
My gaze was pulled to the right. “We’re happy to let you walk out of here if you let us have the monster upstairs. We won’t risk human life.”
Another voice rang out in the darkness. “But I will.”
Oh, fuck. I knew that voice! On quivering legs, I spun, trying my best to shield Kian with my body.
A woman sauntered into the room. The moonlight came in from the kitchen behind her, illuminating her just enough for me to see. She lowered her hood, her long, jet black hair falling over her shoulder in waves. Gone was the bubbly pink and purple woman I’d grown to cherish as a friend. Now, her dark edge only mirrored the evil in her heart. “It’s good to see you again, Ryder.”
I swallowed. “Wish I could say the same, Dani.” Behind me, Kian grabbed my hand, hauling himself to his feet. My heart was in my throat: James was upstairs? I needed to get to him, but how could I beat two vampires to him?
The creepy twins jolted. “There’s someone coming—another vampire.”
Dani scoffed. “So?”
The one on the right turned to her. “Humans, always so impatient. We’re in over our heads. Better to retreat. ”
Lefty responded, the gleam of her eyes narrowing to slits. “But he knows who we are.” She must have been talking about Kian, because I sure as hell had no idea who she was.
“Leave then,” Dani snapped. “I’ll clean up your mess here. Clark and I have unfinished business.”
One twin whispered something to the other, and then they were gone. I should have been worried, but my focus was on Dani. I knew I could take her—I’d done it before.
“W-what do you want?” Damn the quaver in my voice. I saw the smirk on her face grow with every word.
“Aw.” Dani tsked, tilting her head. “If only we had time for pleasantries. As it is, this place is rigged to blow any minute now. Why don’t we just cut to the?—”
Dani grunted as Kian tackled her to the ground. The move took both of us by surprise and was enough to stun her.
“Go,” he shouted. “Get James.”
I didn’t need any further invitation. Spinning on my heel, I tore off down the hallway and up the stairs.
There were no windows in this part of the house, so I had to rely on my memory with my hands stretched out to either side of me. My right met the wall, grazing over the edges of picture frames. Halfway down the hall, my left dipped, falling over the ledge of the doorframe and meeting the wood of the bathroom door. I threw it open, not even caring what was on the other side. I just knew I needed to get to James. My eyes took longer to adjust to the dark than I cared for, but to my relief I was met with more darkness—and not a hunter in sight.
I continued down the dark expanse of the hallway, feeling out for the spare bedroom I knew was on the right; the one James converted into an office he never used.
Empty.
Which only left James’s bedroom. Either I’d find him in there—or someone else. I was really hoping for the former, becaus e if he wasn’t in that room then I didn’t know where else to look. He could be anywhere.
My skin prickled as I approached the bedroom, goosebumps rising over my body.
I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I did. He was in there.
Instead of taking the careful measures I should have, my heart won out. I lunged for the door, twisting the knob and stumbling into the room. I couldn’t see much, but I could see enough. James lied on the bed. “Baby,” I said. “Please tell me you can hear me.”
Since vampires didn’t need to breathe, I couldn’t tell from his chest whether he was alive. Hell, I didn’t even know whether I’d be able to find a pulse. But what did I have to lose?
I cupped my hand around his neck, and that simple move let him know I was there. He flinched, and I could breathe a little easier. Though my relief was short-lived.
As soon as he came to consciousness, his face contorted in pain. “Wrists,” he strained through gritted teeth.
I leaned over him, running my hands up until I landed on something cold and metallic.
Chains.
No doubt silver.
“You have to get out of here,” James said.
“Not without you.”
“Ryder,” he said, a little more desperate. “Promise me, love. Get yourself and Kian to safety. I can manage on my own.”
Like hell. I ignored him, climbing onto the bed and throwing my leg over him, straddling his waist. I leaned over, feeling for the chains on either side. “You don’t get to make me fall in love with you and then leave me, James Campbell. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
James choked out a pained laugh. “Stubborn ass.”
“Damn straight. Your stubborn ass. ”
I felt for the end of the chains to see if I could untie them. No such luck. They disappeared inside the wall to either side of the headboard. Damn, the creepy sister twins were more calculated and methodic than I’d hoped. How long had they been planning this? They’d watched us closely, knowing that James often spent the night with me and used that to their advantage to plan the ultimate attack.
“Wait here,” I said, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “I’m going back to the garage to get something to cut these.”
“Not like I have a choice.”
I almost paused to glare at him, but I scrambled off the bed. I needed to be fast. Dani had said the house was a powder keg, but she wouldn’t detonate it while she was still inside, would she?
And a gut-wrenching cry made my heart plummet into my stomach.
Dani appeared in the doorway. “You can’t leave things alone, can you?”
My heart raced, thumping through my ears and making the cut on the back of my head pulse. “What did you do to Kian?”
“He’ll live, but only if he gets immediate medical attention. Tick-tock.”
I was getting dizzier by the second, but I refused to waver. “Bring it on bitch.”
I lunged, whipping out the carving knife I’d stealthily grabbed from the butcher’s block in the kitchen. My heroic effort was foiled when I tripped over something in the dark. I flew into the silhouette of Dani, pinning her against the wall. My right hand lashed out, and?—
Damn it.
She was too small. She slipped right under my arm, and the knife bounced off of the wall. With a primal snarl I pushed away, adrenaline pumping through my veins and making me forget about my injuries. I managed to wrap my arms around Dani’s waist. “I don’t want to hurt you,” I told her. “But you’re not making this easy.”
“Then give it up, Clark.” She writhed and bucked in my arms, her elbow nearly connecting with my nose. “Run away like you always do, and this will all be over.”
I chuckled. It was a dark, sinister sound that I didn’t know I was capable of. “You’re even dumber than I remember.”
I brought my knee into the back of her legs and sent her crumbling to the floor. But for being so small, she definitely held her own. Dani’s head thrashed back, skull colliding with my nose. A sickening crunch, and blood was pouring down my face. I wasn’t lying before: I didn’t want to use the knife, but I was quickly running out of options. Fuck, no one ever told me how much a broken nose hurt. Still, my body pushed through the pain.
Dani’s arm lashed out at me, but I grabbed it and twisted it behind her back. She cried out in pain, her voice higher than it had been before. I pushed even harder. I dropped her arm to grab the hood—taking a fistful of hair with it—and brought the knife to her neck, slowly and carefully. I applied only enough pressure to serve as a warning.
Dani’s laugh chilled me to the bone. “Some parent you are,” she spat. “You’re worried about me while Hannah’s boyfriend is bleeding out on the floor.”
She’s right , I realized in dismay. My stomach roiling, I changed positions, jerking the knife away from her neck and plunging it into her abdomen. I swallowed a wave of nausea as hot blood spurted over my hand, spattering the hardwood floor beneath us. I could only hope the wound wasn’t fatal. I held the hood tight, bringing my mouth to her ear to make sure she heard me perfectly. “You keep my daughter’s name out of your fucking mouth. ”
Certain she wouldn’t be a threat anytime soon, I shoved her face into the floor, a grunt of pain following me down the hallway. I tossed the knife, letting it clatter to the ground. My heart was aching to run to James, but Kian was my first priority. He didn’t have supernatural powers behind him. When I knelt next to his still form outside the bedroom, I was certain he was dead. But when I touched his hand, his fingers squeezed around mine. It was weak, but it was something.
“I’m going to get you out of here,” I said. “I promise.”
I felt across his back, searching for the cause of his injury. When I found it, I recoiled.
A wooden stake was driven through his back.
I swallowed down more bile and reached for it again.
“Don’t!” someone cried. I flinched, head jerking toward the sound. Gabriel. “Leave it,” he instructed. “Taking it out could cause more harm than good. He needs a hospital.”
“How exactly am I supposed to explain this to the paramedics? And what about James? I need to get him out of here.”
“Let me worry about that.”
I glanced up into his red irises. “What are you doing here?”
But his attention wasn’t on me; it was focused on the stake in Kian’s back, then the silver chains binding James to the bed. “I thought you could use some help.”
That wasn’t a complete answer—I wanted to know how the hell he had found us—but I didn’t have time to grill him. My gaze went from him to James, then to Kian.
“Look at me, love,” James said quietly.
Tears stung my eyes. I squeezed them shut and shook my head. I wouldn’t leave him. I could save them both.
Gabriel reached for me. “Ryder…”
“No!” I shouted, wrenching out of his grip. “I’m not walking out of here without James.”
I fought the urge to flinch when Gabriel knelt next to me. My hand still held Kian’s, but I was itching to run to James, to rip those chains out of the wall with my bare hands. I could save them both. I had to save them both. The thought of leaving the house without either of them wasn’t one that I could bear.
Gabriel placed a soft hand on my back, his voice soothing. “Ryder, you are a vampire’s mate, so you can trust me when I say that I’ve got him. James will survive, but a vampire can’t heal injuries caused by a stake. I’ll help you get Kian across the street and come back to free James. Call for help, and wait until it arrives.”
“What about the neighbors?”
“They won’t know a thing—don’t look at me like that! They’re asleep.”
“Then what?” I asked, sick with myself for even entertaining the idea of leaving without James.
“We’ll meet you at the hospital. I promise everything will be okay.”
I dropped Kian’s hand and shot to my feet, storming across the room. Taking James’s face in both hands, I leaned down and crushed his mouth to mine. I poured every emotion I felt into that kiss, one that said, “Don’t you dare die on me or I’ll haunt you in the afterlife.”
But when I pulled back, I could only whisper, “I love you.”
“I love you, too,” he returned. “Now go. I’ll see you at the hospital.”
I stole one more kiss before I turned away. My eyes burned. My vision blurred. I swiped at the tears with the backs of my hands, and then it was time to steel myself. The adrenaline was fading from my body and the pain in my head was returning, to say nothing of my broken nose. Gabriel went to scoop Kian into his arms, but I stopped him. “I’m not leaving James alone with Dani, even if she is wounded and half unconscious. I’ll get Kian out of here. You work on the chains. ”
Gabriel must have seen the steel in my eyes. Without arguing, he stepped aside. I knelt next to Kian again, carefully helping him to his feet. He groaned with each movement, barely able to walk.
With slow, halting baby steps, Kian leaned heavily on me as we made our way out of the house. Every step sent jolts of pain through my body, and I could only imagine what he must be feeling. The moment we stepped outside, Kian took in a deep, gasping breath. That was a relief: at least the stake hadn’t punctured his lung. When we crossed the street, I sat on the cold, hard ground and Kian propped himself up against me, whimpering.
“You can do this, Kian,” I encouraged. “I know it hurts, just stay with me.”
I wasn’t sure whether I was speaking to him or myself, because I was feeling exceptionally weak. With every exhale, a little more fight left my body. I wondered what happened to the guy who overpowered the shadowed figure in the hallway, because I surely didn’t feel like that guy anymore.
True to Gabriel’s word, not a light was to be seen in either direction. The entire street was dark and quiet. Panting, I wrestled my phone from my pocket and called for help.
I don’t remember much from the next few minutes. The next thing I knew, sirens were piercing the air. Paramedics showed up and assaulted me with questions, but all I could get out was, “Remodeling accident.”
I knew they didn’t believe me, but Kian’s injury was too life threatening for them to argue. They demanded I ride with them to the hospital—I was covered in blood, after all—and I have a vague memory of fighting with them before the more muscular one hauled me to my feet and strapped me into the ambulance. I sat in the spare seat, barely clinging to consciousness. The door shut a nd the ambulance rumbled to life. The sirens started up again, and then we were moving.
We couldn’t have made it more than a hundred feet away before the ambulance screeched to a halt. A blast rocked the entire street, vibrating the asphalt and rocking the vehicle. I tried to peek through the rear window to see, but it was out of reach. I knew the explosion had come from James’s house, but I couldn’t see anything more than an orange cloud billowing across the pane of the ambulance window, and the flame-lit dark street beyond. One of the medics yelled at the driver to go, and we were gone before I could see if James made it out alive.
With that, the rest of the fight left my body. I laid my head back, closed my eyes, and let the darkness sweep over me.