A vampire toward the front raised his eyes to meet mine. “We were following at a distance as instructed, when Gabe thought something didn’t feel right. He went forward in the shadows, and we heard someone yell. We ran up and were faced with an ambush. There were enemies everywhere.

  “Mr. Van Helsing and Gabe were fighting together, so we stepped up and took on the others.”

  Seeley placed his arm on the vampire’s shoulder. “And where are the others?”

  “Dead,” a cold voice came from behind the man who had been speaking with us.

  Seeley turned his back to the vampires, and I saw his pain, but when he faced them again, it was gone.

  “We’ll need patrols searching for them immediately. Get cleaned up and report back here in fifteen minutes.”

  “Were you followed?” I spoke up before any of them could leave.

  “No, ma’am. We circled twice before signaling to enter. We were alone.”

  I nodded, raising my hand. “Wait, how far away was the ambush?”

  “About forty-five miles west of here.”

  As the vampires turned to leave, I directed my attention to Seeley. “We should split up into teams and search for them. We can be discreet while covering a lot of ground.”

  He looked at me in surprise, and if I was being honest, I was surprised myself. I wasn’t sure where this was coming from, but it was bubbling on the surface, the need to take control, knowing I could remain calm and lead.

  “I’ll pull something together, and we’ll do a quick map before we head out. You’ll stay here—”

  “I’m not staying here, I’m going.” I immediately cut off his plans.

  Seeley sighed, rubbing at his face in a very human way. “You cannot go out there now. If something has happened”—he paused, softening his voice as if he was scared to break me—“If something has happened to Lars, you are our new leader.”

  “I think I’ll be okay with a few vampires. We aren’t running into a battle, we’re a search party.”

  “Lars didn’t think he would get ambushed, either. This is war, Jules. That’s the end of this discussion.” Seeley slammed his hand on a marble table in the entryway, cracking it as he did.

  I was furious. My shoulders tensed as I witnessed not only his display of rage, but also his absurd assumption that he could dictate my role in all of this. This was my life, my family after all.

  I raised my eyebrow at the table before looking back at him. “This isn’t over.” I stormed off down the hall.

  Henry and Nadia were running my way, and I nearly bumped into them.

  “We just heard—what can we do?” Henry asked.

  “Seeley is organizing teams to cover some ground around the Glenn. If you’re feeling up to it, he might be able to use you.”

  Henry pulled me into his arms, and I gripped him tightly.

  “He’s a warrior, Jules. So is Gabe. They are both all right.” He leaned back, giving me a look I knew meant he wasn’t going to let me go until I accepted what he was saying.

  I nodded and squeezed his arm. “I know.”

  Nadia grasped my hand firmly the minute Henry let me go. “I’ll use what magic I can to help. You have my word.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled at her. She and Henry turned and left, heading to where Seeley was coordinating. I wasn’t sure where I was going, or what I’d find to help me weasel my way into getting out of here without Seeley’s watchful eye.

  As I walked by the training room, I heard a grunting and the sound of flesh pounding the mats. I slowly pushed the door open to find Rebecca, hammering at the boxing dummy.

  I cleared my throat, which turned out to be a mistake. She whirled a dagger toward the front of the room, and it landed with a thud in the wooden door beside me. Rebecca turned and kicked the dummy once more, snapping its body in half like it was made of flimsy wood instead of heavy-duty rubber and padding.

  “It’s just me.” I raised my hands up defensively.

  “I know who it is,” she huffed, tossing the dummy and the base to the side of the room.

  It was easy to forget the immense strength the vampires contained within themselves. Rebecca was reminding me how easy the enemy could destroy me. I couldn’t let that thought in now, though.

  “I guess you heard,” I said quietly as I entered the training room.

  “Of course I heard,” she snapped. “Once again he’s in danger, and I’m here alone.”

  I let out a short breath under a dry smile. I wasn’t the only one grappling with the fear of being left behind.

  “Seeley’s organizing a search party,” I told her. “Smaller groups are going out to look for them.”

  She finally turned toward me and spoke to me face to face. “And I’m sure he’ll sideline me once again, thinking he knows best and that I’m too involved.”

  “He wouldn’t do that to you, too, would he?” I asked, emphasizing my bitterness a little too much.

  She smirked. “Did Princess Van Helsing get told no?” She laughed. “I know the feeling.”

  “Well, why don’t we do something about it, then?”

  Rebecca eyed me as the smirk she wore grew into a full-blown smile.

  “What exactly did you have in mind?”

  14

  This was a stupid idea.

  I realized now that Seeley’s refusal to let me go out with the others had less to do with him being stubborn and more to do with the logistics. It was pitch black in the middle of the night, and I had no sense of vision like the vampires, no magic like Nadia, and I sure didn’t have the superhuman guardian abilities that Henry had, all of which I still couldn’t even comprehend. I was just a fledgling hunter, stumbling around with Rebecca, most likely hindering her progress.

  “Are you trying to get us caught?” Rebecca hissed under her breath, confirming what I’d been thinking.

  “It’s a little hard to see. Besides, we don’t even know where we’re going.”

  She snorted. “Some hunter you are. The vampires will hear you coming from miles away. You’d be lucky to catch a human off guard at this rate.”

  I grimaced at her comment before turning to face her head on. My face almost smacked into hers, and I jumped at how close she’d been in order to speak quietly but recovered quickly. “Sorry, I’m not a vampire. I can’t be silent.”

  “You’re a Van Helsing, so, yes, you can. And yet, you’ve probably sent up a flipping beacon that we’re out here stomping around.” Rebecca stormed off, silently, since she was on high alert.

  I was on high alert, too, but apparently wasn’t being as stealthy as she would have liked me to be. I tried to be cautious, avoiding the leaves and sticks strewn over the wooded ground in order to keep from making noise. But I wasn’t as quiet as her.

  I wanted to mutter under my breath but thought better of it. We had no idea what could be waiting in the woods. There could be an ambush behind any of the trees surrounding us, and I’d probably never know.

  I frowned as I had the thought, and an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. I stopped, holding my breath, as I felt a near-forgotten sensation start at the base of my neck. Before I knew vampires existed, the tingling sensation would course through me on occasion. Usually before something bad happened, or a vampire showed up. Of course, that was before I knew they were vampires. As if something was reminding me, I felt it again. The slow rise of the hairs on my neck let me know something was wrong.

  Up ahead, Rebecca paused as well. Perhaps I was a hunter after all. I scanned the tree line, looking for anything that might seem out of place. Even a slight movement would help. But the air was as still as the forest around us.

  Rebecca began turning in a circle, slowly, and I followed her lead. I gently planted my feet, desperate to remain silent.

  I felt him a split second before he barreled into me. A man, obviously a vampire from his size and speed, toppled me to the ground. I jerked my head to the side as his bared fangs lunged for my neck. He missed, but only slightly. I kicked and caught him off balance, and, at the same time, Rebecca swung her sword, slicing his torso. He grunted, but she didn’t deliver a killing blow.

  I scurried to a stand, whipping out both stakes Nadia had fashioned for me and held them close to my side, ready for a fight.

  Rebecca backed our attacker against a tree and twisted her sword into his heart as he clenched his teeth.

  “Rebecca, is that necessary? We can ask him—”

  She cut me off and finally pulled out her sword, then sliced through the vampire like he was made of butter, eliminating him completely.

  “He could have given us information,” I ground out angrily.

  Rebecca looked at me as if I was some naïve child. “You’re out of your mind if you think that.”

  “He wasn’t a threat with you here, and we had him in a place he could talk,” I argued.

  “Kill or be killed in our world, Princess.” Rebecca shrugged.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “Well I don’t want to live like that.”

  “Then you might not live at all.” With that, she turned, bracing herself and searching around to see if we had anymore company.

  The woods had gone quiet again, and Rebecca nodded for us to continue in the direction from where the vampire had attacked. I acknowledged her, and we moved slowly down the path.

  A growl rang out, and a few stray birds cawed, making a hasty escape above the tree line. I narrowed my eyes, knowing another attacker was coming for us.

  Only it wasn’t just one. Three vampires emerged quickly from the shrubbery and rushed us. Rebecca was confident and had one down before the others reached me. I swung, implementing as much as I could when the first vampire readied his attack.

  “Has the last Van Helsing come at last?” the vampire mocked. His tongue ran over one of his extended fangs as he spoke, circling me in a way that made me think he doubted I had the ability to defend myself.

  “What are you waiting for? Attack him,” Rebecca shouted from her own battle.

  I smirked at the vampire’s overconfidence. “As you wish,” I said, running toward the enemy.

  He was swift and easily dodged my first attack, but with no weapons of his own at that moment, I knew I could get him. I aimed my sword for his heart and, as I pushed my arm forward to make contact, I made sure to swipe my leg behind his to knock him off balance as well.

  The sword to the heart missed completely, but the distraction was well worth it. He fell to his knees, and I rushed to straddle him and keep him on the ground.

  “Where’s my grandfather?” I demanded, pressing my blade to his neck. “Where’s Lars Van Helsing?”

  The vampire jerked beneath me, trying to spit in my face, bite at my hands and wrists, anything he thought he could reach. But my resolve and training kicked in, and I finally felt in control of something. I smiled when the knowledge I had the upper hand came to me.

  “Where. Is. He?”

  The vampire wheezed as he both tried to gasp for air and appeared to laugh. “I don’t know, but he won’t survive much longer. He or his little sidekick betrayer.”

  I pulled back and shoved my sword halfway into his chest. It was ten times harder than I thought it would be, but I kept my grip tight and used my entire upper body to do it.

  The vampire beneath me gasped, and his body surged. I should have killed him right there. My mistake allowed him to shove me off, and I lost the advantage I was clinging to.

  I glanced at Rebecca who was fighting two more vampires before the one in front of me stood, yanking my stake from his chest and throwing it to the side.

  I took another defense position, clutching my lone weapon like it was all I had left in the world. Well, as a matter of fact, it was.

  “You’ll join him now, much sooner than I expected.” He rushed forward, grasping my neck and lifting my feet from the ground in one swift movement, as if I weighed nothing. I gasped, struggling for air as he pulled me closer to his face.

  “Kellan might try to destroy me for this, but I’d rather have our problems taken care of all at once.” He tilted his head back, showcasing his fangs in what he must have thought looked glorious. His blood-encrusted mouth made me gag, and I felt the bile in my throat, unable to rise because he clutched my neck so tightly.

  I pulled my leg back, delivering a swift kick.

  He flinched, dropping me slightly.

  The growl that escaped him, echoed through the trees, and I knew if we had somehow remained hidden, it wouldn’t remain that way for long.

  The minute my foot touched the ground, I used it to push myself further into him and swung my leg around again. He fell forward to his knees, and I impaled him with my sword as best I could. I’d missed his heart, but I’d given him enough pain to fully escape his grasp.

  I coughed as air returned to my burning throat.

  I reeled back to take a final blow, but before I could, a speeding figure brought wind in their wake and, before I could react, a stake was protruding from the other side of the vampire, directly through his heart. The vampire collapsed before me in a heap. He’d turn to ash as soon as the sun rose.

  I looked up into Seeley’s eyes. They were full of fury, but something else I couldn’t put my finger on. I wobbled, and he moved to my side immediately without saying a word. Rebecca approached, looking ragged but unscathed.

  Seeley’s glare was enough to cause her to shift her eyes over to me before putting on a steely façade. “We did what we had to in order to help,” she defended, not making eye contact with him.

  “If we don’t move now, you won’t be around to help ever again,” he growled quietly.

  With that, Seeley tugged on my arm, and we were running away from our victorious mini-battle and back toward home.

  “We need to keep looking. I’m sure we can—”

  “Jules, stop talking, now. I don’t know how many more are out here, but not all of them have gotten the message yet.”

  “What message?” I wasn’t following what he was talking about.

  “I believe they’re being called away from us, if Mathias honors our code of war.”

  “No,” Rebecca choked out.

  “What is it?” I asked again. But no one answered me.

  A sinking feeling started like a pit in my stomach, snaking outward until I stopped running altogether. The lack of response from anyone took my mind to dark places. Maybe they found Lars, or his body. Maybe he had been killed. Or wounded. Or was it Gabe?

  Seeley didn’t waste time out here in the woods at all. He didn’t ask for permission, he simply picked me up and kept running.

  “Put me down,” I demanded, but he held me tighter.

  “It’s not safe. Please, Jules.”

  The strain in his voice was enough to make me pause. Whatever had happened was bad, and it didn’t seem like anyone was going to let me in on what that was just yet.

  I knew we were circling our location, and after a few loops, Seeley must have been satisfied that we weren’t being followed because he brought us through the protective barriers. I stumbled into the home, brushing past Nadia who had assisted Seeley from the inside so we could enter.

  My body ached and my throat was raw. The emotion was building. I was stuck in an in-between state, hovering between whatever I thought before the news, and what it would be once delivered. I still didn’t know if the news was about Gabe, Henry, one of the others, or my grandfather.

  I scanned the foyer looking for any of them, but all there were was a large gathering of those who were with us, looking shell-shocked and too stunned to address. I fled the foyer and ran to the stairs before I felt Seeley’s hand on my arm.

  “This way,” he croaked. I’d never heard his voice crack the way it did in that moment.

  I followed as he opened a door to a part of the house I hadn’t been in before. I looked around and saw all three of the men I’d been looking for. And Andrew Thornton. They were gathered around a bed, and in it, lay my grandfather.

  Gabe was sitting on the edge of the bed and stood immediately when we came in. I felt Rebecca let out the tension she’d been so clearly holding when he approached us. Seeley hadn’t said who was wounded, and Gabe had been on the list of possible victims.

  He was safe.

  It was my family. Again.

  I kept the sob welling in my throat inside as I rushed to the bed and picked up Lars’ hand.

  “Grandfather?”

  His eyes fluttered open and he coughed, turning his head to the side. I saw it then. Something I knew there was no coming back from.

  Bite marks on the side of his neck, still dripping blood.

  I turned to Andrew and tried my hardest to keep my voice from shaking. “How long does he have?”

  “There’s no way to tell, Jules. I’m just not sure.” His hand grasped my shoulder, giving me a slight squeeze. I turned back to face my grandfather. He was pale and looked weak. He actually looked his age lying there, instead of like the warrior I’d come to know so briefly.

  I brought his hand to my lips, remaining gentle but attempting to signal I was there.

  “I don’t have long.” His voice finally came. It was strained and matched his outward appearance. The sob I’d held back escaped in the form of tears that I couldn’t have stopped even if I wanted to. He looked at me, and his eyes softened in a way I’d longed to see since meeting him. He looked at me like family. Like he loved me.

  I brought my head down and rested it on our joined hands.

  “Leave us,” he whispered hoarsely. I kept my eyes closed, praying when I opened them, I’d witness a miracle.

  Once the room had cleared, he spoke again. “I fear I’ve wasted precious time with you. I should have trained you myself and relished every moment you were with me. But I was a fool, and arrogant and assumed we had more time.”

  I met his eyes. “I was hard headed, and childish. You were trying to teach me.” I stopped myself. I knew that if I kept talking, I’d break.

  “I’m proud of who you are, and who you’ll become, my Jules.” He squeezed my hand back finally, and it shattered the dam I’d been hiding behind.

 

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