The long ride back to Brookhaven with Suzanne and her parents was awful. It was late and Penny was exhausted, but there’d be no sleep until she knew Vince was going to be ok. She texted Zach to see how he was doing, but all he said was that he was hanging in there. That was not helpful, and he wouldn’t reply again to give her any more information.
Suzanne drove while Penny sat in back with her mom, who wouldn’t stop squeezing her hand. Her dad rode up front, his shoulders tense and stiff as he stared straight ahead. He didn’t look at her, but she felt a sharp, worried edge to his energy.
“Suzanne, I want you to teach me how to fight.”
Her mom tensed and squeezed her even harder. She wrestled out of her grip, but refused to look at her. She’d only wilt under her worried gaze. Instead she focused on the rearview mirror, hoping her alpha had her back.
“No.” Suzanne didn’t even bother to look at her before she denied her. The bitch.
“Why not?”
This time she did flick a glance at her through the mirror. “Because we have enough soldiers in the family, and frankly, you’re no good at it. I know you’ve taken martial arts classes, but you’re not a born fighter.”
She crossed her arms in frustration and sunk into her seat.
And now Suzanne wouldn’t stop talking. “You have other skills that are a lot more valuable to the family. You should stick with those.”
She snarled in irritation, “Meaning what?”
“Meaning all your tech knowledge. You’re a natural, even if you don’t want to be. That’s the skill you should develop.”
“And if someone comes after me again?”
“Then you won’t be as dumb about hopping into their car next time, will you?”
The challenge in Suzanne’s gaze, and the little wrinkles around the edges of her eyes told her she was smirking at her. What a bitch.
But she was right. She’d been dumb and it made her sick to her stomach to think about it. She remembered back to being in awe of Darius’s incredibly expensive computer, then memories of him at the apocalypse meetup groups came back to her. He always had the nicest, most high end stuff. She should’ve known something was wrong. Darius only had a part time job at a sporting goods store so it should’ve been obvious that he couldn’t afford that stuff. Except… nothing was obvious in Brookhaven. Everyone had secrets, and alliances, and everyone was ready to stab someone in the back to get what they wanted.
Or at least that’s how it seemed to her. Until tonight, anyway. Vince had barreled into that basement room without any fear. He saved her and put himself in the line of fire for her. And the family… they’d all come out for her. Even Anthony, which shocked the holy hell out of her. And it was plain on all their faces that they clearly thought everyone in that house was crazy.
She’d never felt so stupid as she did now. She thought she’d been training to be one of those people. Now… now she realized she’d never really been one of them. Besides, being out at that house tonight, it really hit home how awful and depressing it was to spend so much time planning for tragedy and assuming only the worst about everyone.
She didn’t want that in her life. She wanted a life where people watched out for each other and did it because they cared. What happened tonight, well, that was the worst of what she’d seen in every show and movie about apocalyptic futures. It was the savagery that came out in every person, the dog eat dog world mentality that just wasn’t her.
Not anymore. She didn’t want to live in a world like that. She didn’t even want to think about a world like that. She’d rather live her life like there would always be a beautiful, wonderful tomorrow. And if someday there wasn’t, then she’d worry about it when it happened, but not until then.
She wanted to live. She wanted a boyfriend, hell, a husband, babies, a cramped up home for all of them to trip over each other and love and hug each other all the time. Vince, of course, was her partner in her fantasies because if even half of his act was true, even with his health issues, he’d be a damn good father. He was damn good man.
But none of that mattered if he didn’t make it through the night, and all because of her…
**
Vince shivered harder than he ever had in his life while searing pain blasted through his shoulder and back.
Zach said from the driver’s seat, “Hang in there, Vince. We’re almost home. Just a few more minutes. The doctor’s already waiting to get you stitched up.”
Min-chul lightly tapped his arm. “You’re going to be fine. You’ll see. You’re a Yi so you’re strong. You’ll make it through this.”
He mumbled, “I’m only half Yi.” He didn’t have the energy to fight with this man, this stranger who’d fathered him, and the scenery was going by too fast and threatening to make him car sick, so he closed his eyes and tried not to focus on the pain of his bullet wounds.
After the bumpiest ride of his life, the car finally stopped. The door opened and someone tried to help him out, but he panicked when his arms and legs didn’t work right. “I can’t move. I can’t…”
Min-chul said, “We’ve got you. Don’t worry.”
Strong hands pulled him out as he tried his best not to scream in pain. His vision blurred and his stomach heaved, but when he was flat on his back on what had to be a stretcher, his eyesight cleared enough to see his father’s worried face.
Vince grabbed his hand and said through clenched teeth, “You want to do something nice for me? Don’t let anyone see me like this. I mean it. Just you, mom, or Anthony. No one else.”
Min-chul briskly nodded as Zach bellowed, “Get a move on! We need to get him over to the doctor’s office!”
Vince closed his eyes as he was jostled around, willing himself not to throw up. It was an even contest on which pain was worse… the throbbing lightning blast in his back, the equally painful throbbing in his shoulder, the pains radiating down his entire body from all the above, or the sick stomach he felt from all of it.
His teeth chattered as he shook with forceful shivers, and finally the movement stopped. Steady, sure hands picked him up again and moved him to another padded surface, and he couldn’t help a loud gasp. Hurried voices filled his ears, but he kept his focus on trying not to pass out. He sucked in harsh breaths, wishing his racing heart would calm down.
When someone forced one of his eyes open and shone a light in it, he jerked away.
“I’m just checking your vitals, son. Hold still please.”
The light returned, and shortly after that a sharp pain in his hand made him look down to see an IV hanging off him while a nurse taped the tube around his wrist so it wouldn’t fall out. Soon everything became a blur and his pain melted away.
**
Penny waited with everyone else in the plastic-y lounge chairs while Dr. Williams worked on Vince in the emergency room. Quite a few of the jaguar pack had joined their group, and it made tears sting at her eyes. Vince was so new to the family, and yet here was everyone in the dead of night sitting around to show their support.
Zach and Min-chul paced a lot, and even went down the hall towards the patient rooms a few times, but they always came back looking frustrated. Vince’s mom cried silent tears, and when Penny caught her eye, she got the distinct feeling Charlotte was mad at her. It made her feel like she should apologize for even getting involved with Vince in the first place, but that was unfair and pissed her off to think about, so she tried not to look at Charlotte too much as guilt ate at her insides.
That house in the woods had obviously been too dangerous for him, and yet he stormed right in to find her. He hadn’t even seemed worried about being shot as he fought to free her from her kidnappers. So why did she still feel like she should’ve protected him?
Zach plopped down next to her and quietly said, “How come you weren’t with Vince tonight?”
She grimaced at the floor in front of her. “It’s complicated.”
Zach grunted something indistinguishable, and his silence after that made her even more upset.
An hour and a half later, the doctor emerged at the end of the hall, along with Anthony. She hadn’t even realized he wasn’t with all of them in the lobby as she’d been nursing her emotional wounds.
Dr. Williams looked tired but surprisingly alert as he said, “Vince is going to be all right. We’ve sewn up his wounds and he’s doing fine. He’s still under sedation, however. He should stay here and rest−”
Charlotte raced around both of them so fast, Anthony and the doctor both jerked aside, then just watched her go. It seemed like the entire room tried to follow, but when the doctor protested, Anthony stepped into the middle of the hall to block the path. He stared them all down, Zach and Min-chul in the front of the group, and the tension between them climbed.
Zach snapped, “He’s my pack. Let me see him.”
Min-chul bit off some foreign sounding words that didn’t take much imagination to figure out he was swearing.
To everyone’s total surprise, Anthony calmly said something back to him in what must’ve been the same language because Min-chul looked away in irritation, then didn’t say anything else.
Anthony turned his attention on Zach next. “The doctor would like Vince to rest and this is his domain. Doctor?”
Dr. Williams was obviously irritated by the tension, or just tired. Again… her fault. “It’s good to see that so many of you care for Vince, but I’d prefer we keep his visitors to a minimum. At least for the next few hours. We’re still figuring out what his immune system can handle, and I don’t want him getting an infection. So, immediate family only, please.” He looked to Min-chul. “That means you.”
Min-chul didn’t say anything, he just stormed down the hall, barely giving Anthony time to move aside for him. When Anthony turned back to the room at large, for some reason he locked eyes with Penny for a brief moment. Did he think she was to blame for all this, too? Great. Just great.
It was after three in the morning when she finally shuffled off to her own place feeling like the biggest loser in the world.
**
Vince woke to darkness pierced by various pinpoints of light that he eventually figured out were from medical equipment. He must be in one of the patient rooms at the doctor’s office. He turned to his right and thought he recognized Min-chul’s scent as he sat sleeping in a chair. To his left he felt dead air along with the scent of a crisp night, which meant Anthony was here, too.
He turned his head toward him, his shoulder throbbing numbly as he did. “Hey. Anthony. I know you’re there but I can’t see you.” When there was no answer he started to panic, worrying something had happened to his eyesight.
The air wavered, though, and then Anthony was there with a confused frown on his face.
He eventually stepped forward, then gestured towards him. “Do you mind?”
“Um, I don’t know what you mean, but sure. Whatever.”
Anthony pulled his blanket back and put a cold hand on Vince’s overly hot, bare chest. A pulse of energy shot through him and it stung sharply at his wounds. He sucked in a breath and looked up at Anthony, but his eyes were closed and he obviously didn’t realize he was inflicting pain as he stood still as a statue in that way he did a lot.
After a short time he opened his eyes and pulled back from him, then covered him back up with the blanket.
Min-chul’s changed breathing told Vince he was awake, but he didn’t say anything, or even move, and Vince didn’t want to look away from Anthony right now. It felt like he was the only person left who might actually be able to help Vince with his shifting issues, and with as powerful as he was, he just had to know a way to help him. He had to.
“Your bullet wounds are healing. Slowly, but they’re healing.”
It wasn’t the exciting news Vince had been hoping to hear, but it was better than nothing. “Thanks.”
Anthony inclined his head. “That’s the doctor’s work, not mine.”
He sighed in frustration and turned to look at his father. They locked eyes, but neither said anything.
Anthony eventually broke the silence. “You have healing abilities that are stronger than a human, but not as strong as most shifters.”
He didn’t miss the ever so slight flinch in Min-chul’s eyes. Yeah, now he felt bad for what he did to him as a baby. He mentally scoffed and rolled his head back to stare at the ceiling in disappointed irritation. He already knew he was inferior to everyone here. He didn’t appreciate hearing it out loud.
“Yet you sensed my presence when many others can’t. You were able to find Penny in that house full of people, and you lived through being shot twice with silver bullets.”
He jerked his head back to Anthony, hope suddenly strong and alive inside him, which only made his back and shoulder hurt like hell again.
“What are you saying? What does that mean?”
Anthony was creepily still as he watched him, his eyes unmoving for a time. Finally, he said, “I’m not sure. Surviving the silver might only be because you’re not like other shifters, at least not yet. But your abilities say you are. Your abilities say you’re definitely a supernatural creature.”
“So how do I heal? How do I become a shapeshifter? That’s what I’m supposed to be, right?”
Anthony shook his head once, frustration clear in his eyes. “You’re a shapeshifter, I can feel it in you, but I don’t know what’s blocking your animal from coming out. I don’t have the answers, Vince, but I’m trying to figure it out. We all are. We’ll continue to do everything we can to help you.”
His moment of hope turned into his usual pointless fantasy, except now his shoulder throbbed while a bitter weariness overcame him. Anthony didn’t have anything else to say, and neither did his father, so it wasn’t long before the silence of the dark room lulled him back to sleep. When he next opened his eyes, it felt like Anthony had just barely left, and his father was still by his side.
**
Penny gave Vince a day to himself before she tried to see him again. She went by his place since she heard he’d been able to go home, but she didn’t have any luck there.
Charlotte answered the door looking suspicious. “He’s still pretty out of it. He’s sleeping right now. I’ll tell him you came by.” She didn’t give Penny a chance to say anything else with the door slamming in her face.
Yep, Vince’s mom was definitely mad at her. Great.
**
Another agonizing day went by before Vince’s name popped up on her phone. Her heart hammered in her chest as she opened his text message.
‘Glad you’re safe. I’m feeling a little better. Thanks for stopping by.’
She frowned. What the hell kind of message was that? It sounded so… cold. He’d been shot, yeah, but he’d gone out to the woods to save her. Didn’t that mean he still cared about her?
She immediately called him, but it went straight to his voicemail. Hmm. Fine. He didn’t want to talk right now. Ok… She left him a message of her own.
“Thanks for saving me out at that house the other night, but that doesn’t get you out of trouble for keeping things from me. We need to talk.”
**
Penny kept the volume on her phone turned up high so she’d be sure to hear as soon as Vince called or texted, but another day went by with no word from him and she refused to beg him to talk to her. Yep, she was a badass.
She sighed in guilty frustration as she washed her dinner dishes, then jumped and got soap and water all over herself when her phone loudly chirped. She grabbed a towel to dry her hands as she sidestepped to the counter, disappointed to see it was just Suzanne texting her.
‘Clean up. We’re coming over.’
Huh? She typed back, ‘Who?’
She waited a little bit for a reply, but when none came, she looked around her apartment to see if anything embarrassing was laying around, then down at herself to make sure she wasn’t wearing her old, ratty clothes, like the time Zach sneakily brought her to hang out with Vince.
Just thinking about that night at the bookstore made her heart hurt, but she didn’t have time for nostalgia while she raced to her room and put on a dry shirt.
She quickly straightened a few things up, but the knock at the door still came too soon. Her place didn’t look too slobby. Still, when she opened the door to see who her mystery guests were, she wished she’d had more time to clean.
Anthony looked stiff and formal and totally no nonsense as he stood before her with the vampire from the other night and Suzanne and Sebastian.
“Good evening Miss Thomason.”
“Hi.” What the hell was going on? Was she in trouble for something?
Suzanne said, “Penny, will you invite us in? We need to talk, and not in the hallway.” She had a large bag hanging off her shoulder and looked around as if she didn’t want to be seen here.
It wasn’t like Penny could tell her no, so she waved them all in. Anthony and the other vampire didn’t move, though. A flicker of something crossed behind Anthony’s eyes and he said, “You’ll need to speak your invitation out loud, please.”
Without thinking, she focused her senses more sharply and realized there was a field of energy in front of her. Huh. She’d never felt that before and knew immediately that it was the magic that blocked vampires from people’s homes.
Just like Anthony had been blocked from the crazy kidnapper’s house. A little thing like that didn’t stop someone like him from taking care of business, though.
A shiver of fear ran through her at the memory of that night in the woods. She looked away from his hard eyes as she said, “Please come in Mr. Foster. And…” She looked at him apologetically. “Sorry. I don’t know your name. And, uh, sorry about what happened to you that night.”
His expression darkened and she worried she’d said the wrong thing. He nodded once, though, so maybe they were ok. “It’s Benicio.”
“Benicio. Please come in.”
Anthony stepped forward and she led them all inside, not exactly sure what the protocol was for having the Master of Atlanta in her place. Luckily they didn’t leave her hanging for long.
Anthony said, “Thank you for inviting us in, Miss Thomason. Time is of the essence, so I’ll make this brief. I need your help.”