I sat at the kitchen table, my eyes on the little girl where she was cuddled up on her mother’s lap, a thick layer of fear surrounding her. I didn’t blame her after everything she’d just been through. Lianne and her brothers stood on the side of the room closest to the door, as if unsure of their welcome. I was fine with that. I didn’t know anything about them, except what little Lianne had revealed. I had a lot of unanswered questions where they were concerned. They were going to have to prove themselves and earn my trust.
Trey leaned back against the wall directly across from them, keeping watch. He didn’t trust the trio any more than I did, and I could tell that he didn’t want them anywhere near me. His jaw was clenched tightly, his lips set in a firm line, his brow furrowed into a dark scowl. I fought a smile when I saw Royal raise an eyebrow and give Trey a cool look before looking away dismissively. As though he could care less about what my cousin thought. Maybe he didn’t.
Skye was in the far corner, taking her cues from Trey. Her arms were crossed in front of her as she glared at the siblings, as if daring them to try anything. I wasn’t sure why I trusted Skye so quickly, but I did. Probably because I’d already been inside her mind. I knew how she felt about everything that was happening, what she’d been through, and what she’d done about it. And I knew she was a very loyal person. Loyal to me.
Dad was next to me, sitting in a deceptively casual position as he talked to the friends he hadn’t seen in at least sixteen years. By the sounds of it, it had been more of a friendship between Alisha and my mother than Ben and my father. Ben’s gaze was wary as he swept it around the room before coming back to land on me. Then, it skittered away again. I could read him like a book, even without taking a trip through his head. He was nervous and scared. He was thankful that we’d shown up when we did, felt as if he owed us for stepping in, but wasn’t sure he wanted us to stick around. Not in his house, anyway. We may have just saved his life, but he was afraid we were going to bring more trouble to his door. He was right.
“How bad is it?” Dad asked gruffly, his hand going to rest on the back of my chair. He was worried. For his friends, for Angel’s Pass, for what would happen to the world if we couldn’t stop Aldric. But his main concern was for me. His daughter, stuck between two worlds, defending them both.
“Bad,” Alisha said quietly, moving closer to her husband. She tried to hand the little girl over to him, but the child refused to move. She clung tightly to her mother, quivering in terror.
“It’s over, Sara Beth,” I said softly, moving from my seat to go kneel beside the girl. She slowly raised her head to look at me, then quickly ducked her face back in her mother’s neck. Her fear was a living thing, coating the room, and I hated it. She was so young. She didn’t deserve to have her loving, peaceful life ruined by rogue vamps.
Reaching out, I ran a hand gently over her thick, light blonde curls. “Do you see this dragon on my forearm?” When she snuck a peek at me, I smiled, holding out my arm to her. “Dragons are very big and powerful. This one protects me. It lets me know when bad people are near.” Her eyes widened, and she hesitantly touched it with her fingertips before drawing her hand back again. “It also has another meaning to other people who see it.”
Sara Beth raised her eyes to mine, her beautiful hazel ones glistening with tears. What does it mean?
She didn’t say it out loud, but I still heard it; so soft and timid. Smiling gently, I said, “It means now that I am here, you have nothing to fear. I will protect you with my life.”
“Against the monsters?”
I nodded, hating the fear that still clung to her. “Yes. This is the mark of a hunter. It is my destiny to keep you safe.”
“And to be a princess,” she whispered, her hand going to my crown hesitantly.
I leaned closer so that she could touch it, closing my eyes for a second and allowing her to trace the intricate design. “Yes, I am a princess.”
“Of the vampires.”
It was spoken softly, and I heard the nervousness in Sara Beth’s voice, but she didn’t pull away. “Yes.”
“My friend, Annabelle, is a vampire.”
I caught glimpses of a girl with long, dark hair and bright, almost golden colored eyes full of laughter.
“I don’t have any vampire friends, yet,” I admitted, when Sara Beth sat back against her mother’s chest. “My cousin, Trey, is my best friend.” I nodded over to where Trey stood. He shot Sara Beth a smile and a wink, and I heard a tiny giggle slip free as the girl lowered her gaze shyly.
“Your best friend is a boy?”
“Yep.” Rising to my feet, I grinned down at her. “He even let me paint his nails a few times when we were younger.”
“Ah, Bel,” Trey groused, shaking his head at me. “That was a secret.”
Sara Beth burst into giggles, and I sighed as the fear surrounding her slowly began to seep from the room. “Did he wear a dress?”
“Don’t you dare, Bellame Rose,” Trey muttered, but I heard the laughter in his voice.
Stepping back, I glanced over at him before holding up a finger to the girl. “Once. A pretty blue one. And he wore heels,” I whispered. “Even his toes were painted that time. Bright pink.”
I walked over to stand next to Trey, bumping his shoulder with mine when the little girl giggled again. “Sorry, Trey Trey.”
He shrugged, the corners of his mouth kicking up into a small grin. “It was worth it.”
“Okay,” Alisha interrupted, shaking her head, her face lit up with laughter. “It’s time my children went to bed.”
“I’m staying,” the boy said, his eyes full of distrust as he stared at Lianne, Royal, and Court. I could read him easily. His anger was making him project his thoughts. Loudly. He wanted to know why the three had shown up at the Braxton farm when they did. He wasn’t the only one.
“No, Ethan,” his father said firmly. “Take your sister to her room and put her to bed.”
Ethan glared at the vampires in the corner, but didn’t argue, even though I knew he wanted to. Lifting Sara Beth from his mother’s arms, he sent one last warning look to the vampire siblings, then turned to leave the room. I couldn’t let him go. There was something about him. Something that told me he needed to be here. That he was a part of the war I was about to start.
“Ethan?”
He glanced back, utterly emotionless as he waited for me to speak.
“Put her to bed and come back. We’ll wait for you.”
“No,” Ben started, but I held up a hand.
“He needs to be here.”
“He’s just a boy.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but I need him.”
“What?” Alisha gasped, her eyes flying to her son.
“Give me ten minutes,” Ethan said, ignoring his parents as he strode from the room, his sister already half asleep in his arms.
“Please, no,” Alisha begged, reaching toward me, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “Don’t involve my son. He’s only sixteen.”
“Me too,” I whispered, wishing I didn’t have to take their son from them, but knowing I needed him. “Unfortunately, I don’t get a choice, and neither does he.”
I could tell Alisha wanted to argue, but she stayed silent, burying her face in her husband’s neck. Her shoulders shook as she fought back sobs. Ben stared at me, his hand stroking his wife’s hair, but I saw the resignation in his eyes.
“Bellame wouldn’t involve your son if she didn’t think it was necessary, Alisha,” Dad said, rising from his chair and coming over to stand beside me. “Obviously, she believes this is your son’s fate, as it is hers.”
Alisha ignored him, clinging tightly to her husband. I felt horrible, but I refused to change my mind. I needed her son on my team, and he wanted to be a part of it.
Ethan was back soon, taking up his position on the other side of the room again. His gaze met mine, his deep brown eyes with flecks of green swirling with emotion. “I’m ready.”
I nodded, my gaze raking around the room. The trio of vamps hadn’t moved, but I could tell the brothers were getting agitated. As I watched, Court’s hand strayed to a large knife at his hip, brushing over the hilt of it before dropping to his side again. My eyes met his crystal blue ones, and I arched a brow. “You got a problem?”
He shrugged, glancing away before saying, “It’s a bit crowded in here.”
“Claustrophobic,” Royal muttered, his hands on his hips as he brought one foot up to rest against the wall he was leaning against.
His bad attitude was really starting to get to me, but I shrugged it off. There were more important things to worry about right now than him being a royal pain in the butt. Smiling to myself at my awful pun, I moved to stand in front of the three of them, my hands hanging loosely at my sides in case I needed to reach for a weapon quickly for any reason. So far, they’d done nothing but help, and Lianne hadn’t hesitated to tell me part of their story, but I still didn’t know them. “I have a few questions for you before we get down to business.”
Trey straightened away from the wall, crossing the room to stand next to me, and I wasn’t surprised to find Ethan on my other side. Skye kept her position where she was, but moved her hand to grasp the hilt of a knife that was in a sheath at her side.
“Go on,” Royal said, his eyes on me, but I saw the subtle move he made, his hand near his sword. Court stepped to the left, effectively blocking Lianne from me in case I made any sudden moves in their direction. Protecting her. My impression of him rose considerably in that instance. I slipped inside his mind long enough to hear, No one is going to hurt my sister again. Again? Interesting.
“What’s your last name?”
“Lexington,” Lianne piped up, pushing her brother out of the way. When he moved over in front of her again, she smacked him in the back of the head. He turned to glare at her, and she placed her hands on her hips, snapping, “I don’t know what your problem is Court Lexington, but you better get out of my way before I have to remind you which one of us is better at hand-to-hand combat.” When he just grunted, she leaned in closer to him and threatened, “Move. Now. Or trust me, you will regret it.”
“He’s protecting you,” I said quietly, crossing my arms lightly over my chest in a show of good faith. It would take me longer to get to my weapons if someone made a move against me, but I had complete faith in Trey. He would keep me safe.
“Well, he’s an idiot,” Lianne snapped, flouncing around her brother and coming closer to me. “You aren’t going to hurt us. You just want to know who the heck we are. I would be suspicious, too, if I were you.”
“You would?”
“Lianne,” Royal interrupted, shaking his head in disgust. “Get back here by us.” It was an order, but one Lianne didn’t obey.
Huffing, she turned back to me. “Our last name is Lexington. We live about thirty minutes from here with our grandmother. Our mom died when we were young.”
“Your dad remarried into the royal family,” I said, thinking back to what she’d already told me. “To someone named Elizabeth?”
“Right. But she divorced him two years later.”
“Why?” It was a nosey question, but I needed to know and understand them if they were going to be fighting with us.
“Cause he’s a jackass,” Court growled, his eyes darkening in his anger so much they were almost black.
“He’s a drunk,” Royal cut in, looking beyond me to where the Braxton’s sat. “He lies, steals, and does whatever he has to do to get what he wants.”
I felt the rage flowing from him, the strength of it almost enough to make me sick. Swallowing down the bile rising in my throat, I asked, “Where is he now?”
“Who cares?” Royal moved to stand next to his sister, Court following his lead. “We haven’t heard from him since he received his settlement money in the divorce.”
“He just vanished?”
“You have to understand, he never wanted anything to do with us,” Lianne said quietly. “He’s never loved us. None of us. Not even our mother. He married her for her money. He would leave for months on end going to who knew where, and then show back up, broke. Mom would always take him back. After she died, he had to find a new way to get money.”
“Elizabeth,” I said softly, hating the pain I could feel radiating off of the girl. What would it have been like to grow up knowing your father didn’t care about you? Didn’t love you?
“She was an easy target,” Court stated, his gaze locking with mine. “She’d lost her husband the year before and was lonely. She didn’t have kids, but had always wanted them. Dad had us. He easily manipulated her into falling for him, and for the three of us.”
“Unfortunately, for him, Elizabeth wasn’t as weak as he thought she was.” Royal grinned, the tips of his fangs showing as he said, “The second time he went missing for a few months, she booted him to the curb.”
Lianne giggled, her pretty blue eyes sparkling with laughter. “She had a bonfire and destroyed all of his things. There were divorce papers waiting for him when he finally showed up. He was so angry, but there wasn’t much he could do. She basically paid him to go away.” Her gaze clouded over slightly. “He took us to our grandmother’s house and left. As far as I know, he’s never been back to Angel’s Pass.”
“Is that enough?” Court snapped, sliding closer to his sister. “I’m tired of digging up the past.” Tired of Lianne being hurt. The thought slipped into my mind, and this time I understood more about what he meant. It had to have broken his sister’s heart every time her dad came around, and then just up and left them again. I couldn’t blame either him or Royal for being defensive when it came to their family situation.
I watched him closely for a moment before asking, “Why did you show up tonight, Court? If you live half an hour from here, how did you happen to arrive just in time to help us?”
He shrugged, glaring at me. “We could ask the same of you.”
Trey took a threatening step toward him, but I held up a hand. “He’s right.”
“Screw that,” Trey growled, his hand on his knife. “Your father knows the Braxtons. That’s already been said. They know why we are here.”
“True,” I said quietly, grasping his arm and tugging him back next to me. “But they didn’t have a clue who we were when they jumped in to help. They don’t really know us any more than we know them.”
“Well, you all need to hash this out, and quickly,” Dad interjected. “We are on a mission here. One that isn’t going to wait.”
He was right. While we were standing here growling back and forth at each other, my grandparents and the prince were being held prisoner somewhere, and I wasn’t sure how much longer my grandmother was going to make it.
“Look,” Royal said, running a hand through his thick hair, “ever since Aldric took over, there’s been a huge spike in vamp kills around here. Rogues killing innocent humans, and even some other vampires. I wasn’t going to stand by and watch it happen anymore.”
“Idiot started going off by himself a couple times a week. Coming back bruised up and bloody.” Court shrugged, looking away. “Didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was doing.”
“And we weren’t going to let him get killed,” Lianne said, lifting her chin slightly, a stubborn look in her eye.
Seriously, Bel, can’t you just do the voodoo that you do and hop in one of their minds?
Trey, normally the patient one, seemed to becoming a lot less patient the further into our journey we got.
I probably could, but it doesn’t seem right, Trey. Not without their permission.
I don’t really care about their permission right now, Bellame. I’m more worried about the safety of you and everyone else in this house.
He was right, but how could I expect the Lexingtons to trust me if I jumped in their minds right now without their consent? It didn’t seem fair.
Just do it.
Ignoring Trey, I let my gaze wander over the trio. “So, you took it upon yourselves to become hunters?”
“We saved lives,” Court growled, his hand once again going to his dagger. “When there was no one else here to help the people in Angel’s Pass and the surrounding towns, we stepped up and did it. Which is more than I can say for the other hunters in the area.”
“Court has put his life on the line numerous times to save others,” Lianne said, placing a hand on her brother’s arm. “So have Royal and I.”
“Why?”
“This is ridiculous,” Court snapped. “We come here and offer our help, and you treat us like this? Aren’t you supposed to be our Princess? Shouldn’t you be looking out for us instead of interrogating us?”
“Because,” Lianne interrupted, her hand tightening on Court’s arm, “they are killing both humans and vampires alike. They aren’t discriminating. They don’t care who their targets are. It’s murder, plain and simple. They need to be stopped, as does Aldric. From what we’ve been told, the Jacksons used to hunt this area, from Angel’s Pass as far out as at least a day or two in each direction. The Jacksons haven’t had a hunter in the vicinity for the past ten years or so at least. It’s gotten out of control.”
I frowned. That didn’t make sense. The prince said to come to Angel’s Pass and find my mother, Alyiah Jackson. I knew she was a hunter. Had something happened to her?
“What about Alyiah Jackson?” my father asked, as if reading my mind.
“No one’s seen her in at least ten years.” Lianne glanced over at Royal. “There was a fire or something, and she went missing, right?”
He nodded. “The story is her home caught on fire, killing her daughter. She dropped off the face of the earth after that.”
“Some think she may have perished in the fire, too,” Alisha said, speaking up for the first time since our conversation with the siblings started. “No one’s seen her since.”
My heart constricted at the thought of both my birth mother and sister being gone already when I just found out about them. “Where…” I paused, fighting the tears that were threatening to flow. “Where is the Jackson home?”
“No one knows for sure.”
“No one?” I asked in confusion, glancing over at Alisha.
She shook her head. “The location of the Jackson’s home is one of the best kept secrets around here. It has to be, with them being slayers. I’ve never heard of a Jackson killing a vampire that wasn’t rogue, but that doesn’t mean the vampires and Jacksons were on speaking terms.”
“Obviously one vamp and one huntress were,” Trey said, a slow grin crossing his face as his eyes met mine.
“Shut up, Trey.”
“Wait, you told those rogues Alyiah was your mother. Are you the daughter everyone thinks died in the fire?” Lianne asked, her eyes widening as she stared at me.
“No,” I whispered, walking over to lower myself down into one of the kitchen chairs. “That was my sister, Blayke.”
“Oh, no! I’m so sorry!” Lianne’s hand went to her mouth, her face filling with sorrow. “I didn’t know.”
You aren’t thinking clearly, Bel. Blayke isn’t dead, and I highly doubt your mother is either. Remember your dream and what the prince said? Your sister is alive, and on her way to Angel’s Pass.
My dream. Trey was right. Blayke was alive, and most likely so was Alyiah. What was wrong with me? Why would I forget something like that?
You’re right. I should have remembered that.
You’ve been through a lot, Bellame. Hearing about a fire that supposedly killed your family would upset anyone. You need to set it aside for now. The sun’s coming up in a couple of hours, and we need to get to the bottom of this before the Lexingtons leave. Show us what you got, Princess.
Once again, he was right. Taking a deep breath, I pushed all thoughts of Alyiah and Blayke to the back of my mind and stood. “Okay, so you hunt rogues,” I said, placing my hands lightly on my hips as I steered the conversation back to the siblings. “Explain how you ended up here at the Braxton’s farm tonight.”
I notice Ethan watching them closely, waiting for their answer. When Court’s hand once again hovered over his dagger, Ethan took a step in my direction, as did Trey.
“We followed them from town,” Lianne replied, walking over to sit in the seat I’d just vacated. “Sorry, I’m getting a little tired.”
Ethan’s gaze narrowed on her in suspicion. “Vamps don’t get tired.”
Lianne laughed, sending him a small smile. “Of course, we do. Just not as easily as humans.”
Maybe if she would feed more often, she wouldn’t get tired.
I picked up the thought from Royal, and my curiosity got the better of me. I couldn’t help asking, Why won’t she feed?
I saw him stiffen, then his gaze met mine. That’s her story to tell.
I had to admire him for that. Not telling his sister’s secrets. It’s one thing that kept me from entering his mind and finding out for myself. He loved Lianne and was trying to protect her, just as Court did. Do they know you can speak telepathically like this?
A small huff left his lips, before he tilted his head slightly to the side, raising his eyebrows. I don’t think I’m the one with the ability, Princess. I’ve never been able to do it before.
Oh. Well, that explained it then. You’re okay with it?
I’m okay with nothing right now, he admitted, his blue eyes turning a stormy navy color. It doesn’t look like I have any control over it, though.
Neither do I.
After a moment, he nodded, glancing over at the window. “I think it’s time we left for home.”
“Will you be back tonight?” I asked, wondering what their plans were now that I was in town. Would they continue to hunt or their own, or would they join my team?
Both Court and Lianne looked over at Royal, letting him reply. After a moment, he nodded slowly. “We’ll be back after the sun goes down.”
They left silently out the back door and were off the property within minutes. Their speed was too fast for the human eye to track, but not for me. I waited until I knew they were gone before turning back to the others. “What do you think?”
Trey shrugged a shoulder. Rubbing the back of his neck, he yawned. “I’m not ready to make a decision on the three of them yet. I need some sleep.” He’d done the majority of the driving since we left home, and it looked like it was catching up with him.
“Me too,” Dad said, rising to his feet. “Let’s go find a hotel.”
“Wait, you can stay here.”
I smiled at Alisha, but shook my head, knowing her husband was too on edge with everything that had happened tonight. He didn’t need us around all day. “No, thank you. We’ll be back this afternoon, though.”
“The sun will still be up then.”
“Don’t worry,” Trey teased, bumping my shoulder with his, “Bellame is invincible.”
“A day walker?” Ethan asked, his eyes narrowing on me.
I grinned at him, nodding. “Cool, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“What did you think of them, Ethan?”
He paused, seeming to contemplate the question seriously before saying, “I think they are telling the truth, but they are also hiding a lot.”
“I agree.” Skye stepped away from the wall she’d been leaning against and stretched her arms above her head. “They are hiding some things from us, but I don’t think they are a threat. I do think I need some sleep, though.”
They were right. We needed to get some rest before we could make any decisions on what to do next. “Let’s go.” As we were leaving, I glanced back at Ethan. “Make sure to sleep some today.”
He nodded, his lips turning up into a small smile. “See you soon.”