The Vampire SEAL Collection, page 54
“He kind of looks like your brother,” Zea whispered.
I jerked my head in her direction, then up to the picture of Lord James. I studied it for a long minute. Maybe a hint of resemblance, but I didn’t really see it.
“Lord James is a very old vampire,” Ms. Weston carried on. “He’s one of the first vampires in our history that was able to withstand the sun’s rays. In fact, you could say he was the first natural-born vampire.”
A boy in front of me raised his hand.
“Yes, young man?”
“Is it true he’s sick and dying?” the boy, who had whitish-blond hair, asked.
“I wouldn’t believe all the rumors you hear,” Ms. Weston replied.
She continued to talk about the school’s history. Her tall, lanky figure towered over most of us. Aside from Sam, only two other male vampires dominated the crowd in height. The majority was average, and the mixture of male and female was split down the middle.
The door to the auditorium opened and Ms. Chapman poked out her head. “Ms. Weston, a moment, please.”
“Talk among yourselves. I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the auditorium with Ms. Chapman.
“I hear Lord James and your father are like best friends,” Zea said, leaning in.
Boy, she sure knew more about my father than me. I might know more if Dad would talk to us. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to become friends with Zea. I could use a girlfriend since I couldn’t see Darcy, and I could learn a lot about what was going on in the vampire world.
“Where did you—”
Heels scuffed against the floor behind me, creating a loud echo in the hall.
“Crap. Um, sis? You may want to turn around.” Sam moved closer to me.
Now what?
“Mason? Is that you?” a very familiar voice asked.
“Don’t talk to him. He’s the devil, you know,” Zea said quietly, looking at the source of the voice. “Vile and disgusting.”
“Is that Moonbeam?”
All the blood rushed out of me when I heard that name. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t. Rage, shock, and fear thrummed through me.
I spun around. My mouth fell to the floor.
How in this stupid world, in my screwed-up life, is Blake Turner a vampire?
“You can close your disgusting mouth,” Blake Turner said. His gaze slid over my body.
I wanted to jump in the bay to wash off the slime. The fish were cleaner than him.
Oh yeah. Dad was going to love this one. I promised I’d be good, but with Blake standing in front of me, all my promises to Dad just went over the cliff.
Sam grabbed my hand.
My breathing became shallow.
“I see you still have your brother doing your dirty work.” Blake’s malevolent tone flipped a switch inside me.
I took one step forward, knees trembling. I wanted to show him I wasn’t afraid of him. Even if I was.
Sam stopped me from moving any farther, which was probably a good thing since my legs were about to fail me.
I dug deep in the recesses of my mind, willing my knees to stop shaking. My body was on the verge of convulsing, but maybe it wasn’t out of fear. Maybe it was just pure rage. I’d like to get hold of the scumbag who drummed up this scenario to ruin my life.
Sam squeezed my hand tighter. Knowing he was at least by my side made me relax a fraction. But to add salt to the wound, the little devil inside my head kept coaxing me to punch the shit out of Blake. My yin and yang were fighting for control. As I stood cemented to the floor, all sorts of thoughts ran rampant through my head. However, one stuck out clearly. If he was a monster as a human, I could barely imagine how much of jerk he’d be as a vampire.
Blake’s eyebrows were scrunched as he stared at me. It looked as though he were in pain. In fact, his forehead had a sheen to it as if he were sweating. He stood a head taller than I’d remembered. His eyes were no longer a yellowish-brown, but a deep golden yellow. They almost reminded me of the beady eyes of the wolves’ I’d confronted in the forest weeks ago. His fangs were descended and his aura dripped of danger, predator, and enemy all rolled into one.
I pulled free from Sam’s grip and moved closer to my kryptonite. My heart thumped erratically. As I drew closer to him, holding his gaze, something shifted inside me. The rage obliterated the shock and fear, and a bloodthirsty malice consumed me. The room began to spin. My eyes flashed vampire. Then my fangs shot out of my gums, and at the same time my body writhed as that little devil took control.
Glass crashed in the background.
“What’s wrong with her?” Blake asked. His menacing grin waned.
“Jo, you need to calm down. You’re in Carrie mode,” Sam whispered in my ear.
I narrowed my gaze, stalking toward Blake. I wanted to rip out his heart.
He stumbled to the left, then backward, almost falling on his ass. Sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Make her stop,” Blake shouted. “She’s hurting me.”
A small, cold hand touched my arm. “Jo.” Zea’s voice was soft. “He’s not worth your energy.”
She had no idea how long I’d waited to torture this scuzzbag.
Blake grabbed his head and bent over.
“Sis, stop. I think you’re actually hurting him. I don’t know how. Take some deep breaths. Remember, breathe.” Sam’s voice resonated somewhere in the back of my mind. “Christ, Jo. Pops is going to have our heads. Please,” Sam begged.
I’d never heard my brother plead before. I wanted to take revenge on Blake more than anything. Plus a part of me wanted to prove to Sam I could take care of myself.
“Please, sis. Blake will get his day, I promise, but not in front of these people,” he whispered. His tone was raw with desperation.
“Um…Jo? Ms. Weston is coming,” Zea whispered.
I took in some air. Maybe he was right. I swallowed and blinked several times. I unclenched my fists and dropped my shoulders.
Sam and Zea caught me before I fell to the floor.
“Young lady, what’ve you done? You’ve destroyed school property!” Ms. Weston said, glancing down at the broken window and me. “And you almost hurt that boy.”
Hurt? Little did she know I wanted to destroy him. I wanted payback for all those times Blake bullied me.
“Weird as a human, and even weirder as a vampire,” Blake barked. “What are you, Moonbeam?”
“Stuff it, Turner,” Sam warned.
“Me? I should be asking you that,” I shot back, pulling away from Sam and Zea’s grips. “Something’s off with you.” I was now face to face with him.
“You almost killed me,” he sneered.
“You’re being a bit dramatic, asshole,” I said.
“Enough, all of you,” Ms. Weston said in a sharp tone. Then she looked at me. “We do not swear in this school. Now apologize to the young man for not only calling him a name, but hurting him,” Ms. Weston ordered.
I glared at her. Like that was going to happen. In her vampire dreams.
Blake lips curled at the edge in a smug grin that I wanted to punch into a frown.
I bit my lip, and before I could say anything three loud blasts pierced the air.
“Into the auditorium!” Ms. Weston shouted above the noise. “This is a drill. Don’t panic.”
“Why inside?” some vamp in the group asked. “What if it’s a fire?”
“The fire alarm is a different pitch. This alarm means to gather the students and take them to one of the safe zones inside the building,” she said, raising her voice again.
All the students scattered, including Blake.
“Come on, Jo.” Sam pulled me.
“Let’s go. Hurry!” Ms. Weston barked, her eyes turning black.
I ran, keeping up with Sam. Zea was ahead of him. All of us flew into the auditorium. The scene was pure panic, even though Ms. Weston told us not to panic. Maybe my interaction with Blake had frightened them.
Whispers floated in the air from those on their cell phones. I needed to talk with Dad about getting a cell phone. Maybe if Sam and I had one we could call for help when we needed it.
“Okay, I need everyone to get down near the stage,” Ms. Weston instructed.
The group scurried, following her instructions. Several of them had their hands over their ears.
“Again, this is just a drill. We’re going to our safe room behind the stage,” she shouted above the alarm.
“Can’t they turn the alarms off?” shouted a male vampire.
“They will,” Ms. Weston replied.
“Come on, sis.” Sam said.
“I’m not getting in a safe room with Blake,” I said, surveying the crowd.
Every single vampire had black eyes except for one. Blake’s. His were still a deep golden yellow.
Before I could process this observation, Blake leaned into Zea and buried his fangs into her neck. Her eyes widened, her fangs dropped. Then she let out the loudest shriek. I’d thought the alarms were loud. Not a chance. Her scream reminded me of nails clawing a chalkboard. I shivered.
Sam ran toward the crowd, barreling through a handful of vamps. When he reached Blake, he extended his right leg, twisting his torso at the same time. The pad of his foot connected with Blake’s chest and both Blake and Zea fell to the floor.
The vampires crowded around Sam, and I couldn’t see what was happening. I shook off the shock that consumed me and ran over to my brother.
Blake’s fangs were still clamped onto Zea’s neck, drawing her blood into his disgusting mouth. Her eyes were closed. It looked as if she wasn’t breathing.
Anger rose and, without thinking, I slammed down my foot onto Blake’s ankle. His mouth fell away from her neck, and he let out a guttural growl.
The students backed away.
Blake jumped up, and before I could move, he flew through the air. His fangs were dripping with blood, and his eyes had turned from yellow to the color of the sun on a hot summer’s day. He resembled a fireball, soaring through the air.
I crouched down into my fighter’s stance, waiting. My adrenaline surged. The predator in me was ready, as if she had been waiting for this moment all her life.
He landed in front of me with his knees slightly bent, blood sliding down his chin.
Without hesitation, I sprang forward, twisting my upper torso, planting a roundhouse kick that connected with his jaw. Blake fell backwards into Sam, a look of surprise on his face.
Sam twisted Blake’s arms behind his back.
Every ounce of blood in me wanted to leap forward and tear off Blake’s head, but a slight shake of Sam’s head stilled me.
But then Blake smirked. That was all I needed to finish what I started.
I lunged, and in one fluid motion, I extended my right arm, twisting my wrist, and threw out my fist. Bones cracked. Blood sprayed in all directions. And I realized too late it wasn’t Blake’s blood. Ms. Weston had walked into the fray. I shook my head, trying to clear the haze. After a second or two, I glanced down at the scene on the floor. Ms. Weston was flat on her back, blood gushing from her nose, dripping onto Blake, who was pinned under her.
Oh shit!
The alarm and horns had stopped. The voices in the room sounded frantic.
One of the male vamps ran over to her, dropping to his knees, shock plastered over his pale features. Then the doors in the auditorium burst open.
Students scattered as the Guardians moved deeper into the room. A flash of bright light blinded me, as though someone had snapped a picture, causing me to stumble. Catching me before I fell, Sam was by my side.
“Kraft, take the Mason children to Ms. Lawrence’s office,” Mr. Banks instructed. “Frost, Skane, take Ms. Yangstrom and Ms. Weston to the nurse’s office. And this one too.”
I imagined Mr. Banks was referring to Blake.
“Let’s go, sis,” Sam said, guiding me toward Kraft. “You know we’re in a world of shit. Pops is going to have our heads.”
At that moment, I didn’t care about Dad. Of course Sam was right, but I had been trying to save Zea from Blake. I was tired of his bullying me or any other girl. My heart went out to my new friend. I just hoped Sam and I got to her in time. Every fiber inside me wanted to see Blake take his last breath. While I was enraged with his imperious attitude, and still stunned Blake Turner was even in this school—in my life again—I couldn’t shake the knowledge that he was a vampire. Yet something about him kept nagging at my intuition. I couldn’t make sense of it.
My mind was still in shock, but a cold, painful shiver slid down my spine. The old man in my dream was right. Hell did exist in many places in this world, and this school was certainly one of them.
14
I fidgeted in Ms. Lawrence’s office as I waited for either Webb or Dad to arrive. Sam and I had been sitting in her sunroom for the past two hours. Meanwhile, Ms. Lawrence informed us that Zea and Ms. Weston were going to be fine. I rather figured that Ms. Weston would be okay, since she only had a nosebleed, but Zea? Well, I wasn’t so sure. Atherton had explained that a vampire could go brain dead if the blood was drained from them.
My mind was still processing the fact that Blake Turner was a vampire, and in this stupid school. My life was ruined. Dad and I were going to have a long, drawn-out talk about this. Durfee was looking a whole lot better right now. With its large student body at least, I could hide there. Here, at this place. No way. I stuck out like a bad zit.
Sam sat in one of the plush chairs, staring out the window. He hadn’t said a word since the badass Sentinel/Guardian Kraft hauled us out of the auditorium and escorted us here.
“You haven’t said much,” I murmured.
Sam turned his head. “Pops is going to be furious.”
I rolled my eyes. How many times was he going to say that?
Sam sighed. “I’m learning the more I’m able to feel emotions, the more it sucks. His temper will rub off on me. I’m trying to control it or block it, but I don’t really know how.”
I scooted my chair closer to him. I didn’t want Ms. Lawrence to hear our problems or family stuff. I had learned in Durfee the walls had ears. This place was worse. Vampires could hear a flippin’ pin drop from five miles away.
“What do you mean? Does it physically hurt or something?” I asked, wrinkling my forehead.
He leaned over, dropped his head in his hands, and then rubbed his face. “When Pops gets mad, he exerts this energy that somehow sends sharp pain to the base of my skull, and then it radiates out into my head. And sometimes, yes, it’s painful.”
“Maybe he’s trying to get in your head. Maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with his emotions,” I reasoned.
“No,” he said, his voice muffled. “It’s definitely his emotions.” He lifted his head. “When I got into the car this morning, and you two were arguing, I got a headache instantly.”
“Everything I read about Empaths said you had to be touching someone to really absorb their emotions.”
“Obviously, whatever book you’ve been reading is wrong.” He leaned back in his chair.
Then something dawned on me.
“Did you feel anything when I was in my Carrie mode earlier?” I studied him.
Sam had removed his tie and his jacket. The sleeves of his white shirt were pushed up above his elbows. The front of it was peppered in blood. His hair was no longer in a ponytail but hung freely around his shoulders.
“That’s the thing. No. With all the rage and fury you were clearly throwing out at Blake, I didn’t feel any of it. It seems I can feel everyone else’s emotions, but not yours. This whole thing is driving me crazy.”
“Huh,” was all I said.
Now how was that possible? Why would Sam not feel my emotions? Then again, everything about vampire powers didn’t apply to me, it seemed. Dad could read my mind without touching me, but no one else. I had this power of telekinesis, but no other vampire in our world did. Oh, and my eyes turned violet when my emotions changed. I was beginning to wonder if I’d been born with a faulty vampire gene.
A car door shut. Sam and I exchanged glances. He straightened, steeling his shoulders. I stood, peering through the window.
Oh yeah. Dad didn’t waste any time getting out of the car. He jumped the stone steps four at a time. His caustic expression made the blood in my veins gel. Webb followed on his heels, his hair whipping around him.
Dad’s voice rumbled in the hall, his boots scuffled along the floor. Suddenly the air pressure dropped in the building. A clear indication a storm was headed our way. A very bad storm.
“You ready?” I asked.
“Whatever. I’ll have to take a bottle of aspirin when this is over.”
We were both going to need more than just aspirin.
“I’m the one who did the most damage. Dad won’t be mad at you.”
“Yeah right.” Sam laughed. “Where there’s an opening, Pops will find it. He’ll blame me for this.”
Maybe he was right. After all, Dad did instruct him to watch out for me and make sure I didn’t do anything wrong.
“Where are they?” Dad’s voiced boomed with rage.
“Steven, please, wait,” Ms. Lawrence pleaded.
She was trying to calm Dad. Good luck with that.
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Elizabeth, but I—”
Webb walked into the sunroom, breaking my concentration on what Dad was about to say. Probably a good thing he did. Then again, maybe not. My stomach did that flip-flop dance as it usually did when Webb was near.
“What happened?” he asked with a slight grin on his face.
Was he mocking us?
Sam stood to face Webb, anger instantly etched on his face. Were they going to exchange words or just start throwing punches?
I touched Sam. “Put up your shields or whatever it is you can do.” The last thing we needed was for Sam to get into a fight with Webb. “Not here, Sam,” I warned.
“Don’t worry, sis. I’m not going to. His emotions are telling me he’s calm, not angry or—”
“What’s telling you?” Webb asked.
“We think Sam is an Empath,” I blurted out.
