10

n the moment between sleep and consciousness, Evonne had forgotten where she was. Then the memory of the argument sprang forth and what awaited her when she returned to the estate. Her head started to ache.
The room was cast in darkness. The lamp on the end table had long been extinguished, leaving the smell of burnt oil hanging in the air. Scanning her eyes around the room, she could see dull light coming from upstairs, telling her that it was daytime.
Evonne then looked to her side and saw Keelan asleep beside her. He lay motionless. He didn’t even appear to be breathing. But that was common, she had to tell herself. Vampires had no need to breath.
She carefully pulled herself out of bed as not to disturb him, and grabbed her coat and boots, then headed upstairs.
The bathroom wasn’t hard to locate. Looking in the mirror, she caught sight of the new mark on her neck. She could imagine the look on her father’s face and a few choice words roaring from his mouth.
Dampening her fingers under the tap, Evonne began to wipe away the dried blood around the bite. Bruising was beginning to set in. It had been hard enough to keep the first one a secret, but two? That would require a turtleneck sweater and tons of luck to hide them now.
Evonne took in a relaxing breath. What time was it? She glanced at a small clock sitting on the lavatory. She blinked at it. 4:46 p.m.? Sunset was in three hours. Why didn’t he wake her?
She finished pulling on her boots and jacket as she rushed downstairs. In the garage, she found her motorcycle. On the seat was her holster with the gun and knife. Evonne smiled at the sight. She almost forgot about her weapons.
Quickly removing her jacket, she slid the holster over her shoulders, concealing everything underneath. She then turned up her collar in a simple attempt to hide her neck. After securing her helmet, she opened the garage door and walked the motorcycle onto the driveway. Her hands were shaky as she fumbled around with everything, almost losing her balance with the bike as she turned the key.

Keelan sensed Evonne move about the house. He wasn’t sure on what time it was, but he could still feel the weight of the sun’s light from outside the room, making it difficult for him to wake up. It was the lack of human blood that kept him lethargic during the day. The feeding on animals had to end before the attack on Eden.
Hearing the motorcycle rumble to life, Keelan felt relief mixed with worry. The thought of Alexander verbally scolding her was one thing, but the thought of a physical punishment was the cause for his worry. He was beginning to second guess his choice in letting her return to Eden.

The sun moved beneath the height of the mountains, blending the blue sky into a deep orange, and finally a red-violet.
Evonne turned onto the last road that led up to the estate. Though the sun had set, she wasn’t as concerned. The final leg of the drive would be no longer than ten minutes, and then she would be well within the estate.
The anticipation of seeing her father covered her in a veil of dread. She wanted to sneak into the house and hide in her room as though nothing happened. But no matter how it played out it in her mind, her father would deliver his commanding speech with flawlessness.
As Evonne moved around one of the bends, she could see a man standing in the road. She stopped the bike. The man before her kept his strength in check, but Evonne could feel the truth. He was a vampire. With Keelan’s blood, her senses were heightened, if only for a couple of days. But there was something else about this vampire, something familiar.
Evonne became frightened.
She retrieved her gun and readied to fire.
The vampire didn’t move.
Evonne squeezed the trigger, hitting him the left shoulder. The vampire staggered back, however kept his position on the road. She fired three more shots, striking him in the chest. This time the vampire didn’t waver.
He began to speak. “That is no way to greet your brother.”
Evonne stared at him, confused. “My brother?” She continued to hold the gun on him.
“My name is Zachary Ingram,” he told her, “son of Alexander Ingram.”
Her confusion doubled. Brother?
“You’re lying!” she said, “I am Alex’s only child.”
Evonne pulled the trigger. The bullet sliced through the air, missing its target. The vampire, Zachary, was gone. In that fraction of a second, she felt strong hands grab onto her gun, ripping it away. Startled at his speed, Evonne lost her balance with the bike and fell. The bike followed her to the ground and landed on her leg, pinning her.
Zachary stood over her and stared down. He then blindly aimed the gun into the air and fired its remaining rounds.
“I am Alexander’s son. I was born 1743.”
Evonne’s eyes grew wide. “What?”
“Ask our father,” he instructed, “he will tell you about the many secrets in which he holds dear.” The vampire tilted his head. He caught the scent of someone he loathed. Kneeling beside her, he placed a hand to her jacket collar and move it aside, confirming his suspicions.
Evonne pushed his hand away and recovered her neck.
“Do you believe he will honor you?” Zachary asked. “Or use you?”
She glared at him.
Standing, the vampire glanced in the direction of the estate. “The manor isn’t far from here. I trust you can make it without incident.” He carefully lifted the bike and rested it on the kick-stand. “I am sorry if I’ve frightened you, but you need to know the truth before his actions harm you just as they harmed me.” And with that, he tossed to gun to the ground and headed into the woods.

Evonne limped through the main room of the manor. She bypassed the grand staircase and made her way to her father’s office. She was well aware that he knew she had returned. As the guards at the gate allowed her through, she could hear them scrambling for the radio to inform Alex.
Opening the door, Evonne tore into the room. Her father stood in front of his desk, speaking with Jonathan, Pax, and several other hunters. Marie and David were also in the room. Everyone’s eyes landed on her.
“Where have you been?” her father fumed. “Do you realize how worried I’ve been?”
David was the first to notice the blood on her jeans. “Are you okay?”
“Get out,” Evonne calmly ordered, her words aimed at everyone except her father.
No one moved.
“Out!” she shouted.
Alex quietly asked them to leave.
They waited in silence until the door closed, sealing them both inside.
“What happened?” Alex said, stepping forward. “Are you all right?”
“Who is Zachary?” she snapped out.
His eyes became distant. He appeared sick upon hearing the name. “Zachary…”
Evonne kept her fists clenched at her sides. “Well?”
“I…” he began but stopped. Slowly, Alex walked around his desk and sat down. He propped his elbows on the desk and hands rubbing away the tension from his face. He finally looked at his daughter. “Zachary was my first child. He—”
“He said that he was born in 1743. That’s impossible.”
“What he said is true.” Alex read the confusion on Evonne’s face. “I need to tell you something. I have been avoiding this for many years but you need to know the truth from me.” He swallowed at the growing lump in his throat. “I was born in 1718.”