Chapter 6
Only…running away from this house isn’t going to solve my problem.
I just looked over the papers Devon gave me and I’m struggling to even think right now. Centuries ago, the Order made a deal with a group of vampires: every twenty-five years, the Order gives the vampires a female. In exchange, this particular family of vampires will leave the Order alone.
The Order doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, so to speak. Which makes me wonder just how big and bad the Malus family is? And what the fuck do they want with a female…every twenty-five years? I can’t make sense of it.
I look around, trying to come up with some sort of plan. First thing, I need to know the layout of the land. I should get up and look out the window. See if the walls are drywall or plaster. Use magic to unlock the door. Do a sweep for hidden cameras or bugs.
But I don’t, and I cannot for the life of me get my feet to move. Or even my hands. All I can do is sit here, clench my jaw, and try not to let my emotions get the best of me. Because crying won’t do a damn thing, but fuck, this sucks.
It’s a feeling I think everyone knows all too well: the gut-wrenching pain of betrayal along with the absolute confusion of having your sense of safety ripped away.
The people you thought you could count on, whose word you took at face value were lying the whole time.
It’s an identity crisis on top of soul-crushing heartbreak.
It’s enough to make you question how you can even go on.
If I escape, where do I go? Back to the family I thought loved me but were actually just looking out for themselves the whole time? I have so much to ask them and I never thought I’d have to go through a breakup from my parents.
I’d be on my own, and I’m resourceful enough to figure things out. Though…would I always be on the run? Not just from the vampires, but from the Order? I can’t imagine the vamps would keep their end of the bargain if their willing sacrifice wasn’t willing.
Is that what I am? A sacrifice? None of this makes sense.
Vampires, by law, aren’t supposed to kill a human, just like how humans can’t kill humans and just get away with it.
But of course, that still happens, and a lot of humans don’t want to look the statistics in the eye and admit humans kill way more humans than vampires do.
Feeling like I might go crazy, I force myself up and look around the room.
There are locks on the outside of the door, and the hinges are reinforced.
The bars on the window are deeply embedded into the wall and aren’t something I could easily rip out.
This house is new, so the walls are drywall and not too difficult to break through, but what I’ll see on the other side is the real question.
Whoever lived here last was petite and obviously liked pink.
In another life, this could have been my vibe.
Actually, I never really stopped to think about it too much, but I might have a Pinterest board labeled In Another Life full of pins of big, white kitchens, cozy living rooms, and maybe even a wedding dress or two.
I’ve been raised like a warrior but I still see the world passing around me.
Sometimes I’m jealous of the blissfully ignorant people, worried about mundane things like being gossiped about.
Other times, I feel bad for them. They’re missing out on what’s really going on around them as well as not knowing how to protect themselves.
Not just against demons and monsters, but against other humans, too.
Which is why I know I need to try and get some rest. I’ve been up for nearly twenty-four hours and while I feel like I could fight every vampire in this house, I know what happens when you don’t get enough sleep.
Reaction time slows. Rational thinking goes out the window.
It takes longer to heal and recover. And I don’t think I can afford to risk anything right now.
Pushing my shoulders back, I go to the window and look outside. This room overlooks a perfectly manicured lawn, with a large in-ground pool and impressive gardens. There’s a groundskeeper out there now, trimming the hedges that line the patio around the pool.
“It’s like fucking vampire Stepford wives live here,” I mutter under my breath.
The yard expands several acres beyond the perfectly maintained gardens, and is neatly mowed.
There’s a cobblestone path leading into the woods that I’m guessing lines the property.
There are more houses beyond the trees, and tall buildings in the distance.
We drove maybe two or three hours which means we could possibly be on the outskirts of Charlotte. If there is a big vampire population in the biggest city in North Carolina and I didn’t know…I shake my head. Yep, there’s no denying the Order’s involvement in the cover up.
There’s a knock on the door as I’m looking around to figure out what to use to block the door so I could take a power nap. I wait a beat but then curiosity gets the best of me and I open the door with my knife in my hand.
“Jesus,” Devon huffs, leaning back. He’s holding a tray full of food.
“No, Wren, but I can see the confusion.” I lower my knife and take a step back. “What are you doing?”
“I brought you breakfast.”
I’m not falling for anything and bringing me food is the bare fucking minimum. “I’m a vegetarian.”
“You’re a demon hunter. That’s, uh, not a peaceful job.”
“Can’t a girl have layers? Killing an innocent cow is very different from cutting the heads off ghouls.”
“Touché. So…you only want the pancakes?”
“Eggs are fine. I’m not a vegan. And I appreciate the smell of bacon. I just won’t eat it, but feel free to help yourself.”
Devon looks at me for a few seconds, awkwardly holding the tray, and then nods. “I already ate.”
“Did you?”
“I had coffee,” he says with a shrug.
I don’t quite get how he fits into all of this. “Why did you pretend to be a vampire?” I ask, unable to help myself. “You can’t fool other vampires, not at all.”
“It’s fun and humans are so gullible.”
“You’re human,” I say, stating the obvious. “And yet you live in a house full of vampires.”
“I’m human for now.”
“For now?” My brows go up. “They promised to turn you?”
He nods. Eagerly. Too eagerly.
“Why?” I question.
“To keep the direct Malus bloodline going.”
“Come again?”
He walks in and sets the tray of food on the dresser. The bacon smells good, but not as good as the coffee. “I’m of biological descent from Xavier, the head of the family.”
“The mob boss,” I spit with a laugh.
Devon’s eyes twitch ever so slightly. Oh, did I hit a nerve? Noted.
“He will let you know how he prefers to be addressed. And he’s nearly seven-hundred years old, so don’t think you’ll be able to get away with anything.
” He gives me a gotcha look and I just nod.
Witches can’t be held spellbound by vampires.
I’m not sure why, but I figured it out by accident when I was just a teenager.
My interaction with other witches has been minimal and I only recently learned that the fact we have magic counteracts the dark magic inside vampires, making them unable to hold us spellbound in any way.
And Devon has no fucking idea. Hah.
“How are you biologically related to someone seven hundred years old? Wouldn’t you be a super distant cousin by now?”
“Not quite. You see…” He takes in a breath as he starts, looking genuinely uncomfortable.
I’m starting to think Devon isn’t the hard ass bad boy he wants me to think he is.
The energy around him is gentle. “I’m more like a brother, technically a first cousin, I think.
Maybe. It’s best just not to think about it too much. ”
“What the hell are you talking about? And don’t give me any bullshit or drama. Just cut to the fucking chase here.”
Devon gives me a curt nod and goes over to the window. “Xavier isn’t just the ‘mob boss’ as you put it. He was the first in the Malus family to be turned. He had a brother then, back when he was human, a brother who wasn’t turned.”
“Okay, and?”
“His brother had two sons. The first son went on to have five children. A boy, three girls, and another boy. The second was turned when he became of age.”
A sense of anxiety starts to cover me like a cold and clammy blanket. “What happened to the first son?”
“Nothing. He died of old age. But his first son was turned when he became of age. The youngest married and had kids of his own.” He pauses, waiting to see if I can catch where this is going. I can, and I feel sick.
“You keep one human alive in every generation to biologically continue the family, turning only the boys into vampires when they come of age.”
“Precisely,” he says with another sharp nod.
I swallow the lump of vomit that’s threatening to rise in my throat as I mentally do the math.
There were rumors among the Order that a vampire sired by a biological family member is superior to other vampires in terms of strength, speed, and the ability to hold humans spellbound.
No one had encountered enough family-sired vamps to really put the theory to the test.
Until now.
“Okay, so you guys have an incest kink.” I raise my eyebrows. “How the hell do I come into play? Or anyone from the Order for that matter.”
“We figured cutting a deal with them was a win-win, as we could be more selective. The Order keeps extensive medical records and, typically speaking, only those in excellent health make it as a demon hunter. If we’re to continue our line, we might as well have the best genes, right?”
“Wait,” I say, unable to help the words that are tumbling out of my mouth. “So that means…no, please no.”
“Uh, yeah…” He trails off, running his hand up the back of his neck and messing up his thick, dark hair in an annoyingly attractive way. “You and I, we’re, uh, we’re gonna have a baby.”