28

vonne…”
Still craving sleep, Evonne rolled over and settled back under the covers. She ignored the voice speaking to her. There was nothing more her body wanted than to rest. With her eyes remaining shut, her mind pushed forth images only hours old. As she tried to mentally scold herself, a new emotion as clear as glass shifted its way to the forefront. This one emotion brought forth a rush of anxiety. It was a new truth she was afraid to face.
“Get dressed,” she heard Gabriel say.
Evonne looked to see him standing near the bed, pulling on his shirt as he finished dressing. She stared at him, unsure what to think. This is that awkwardness I hear so much about. Her eyes went to the ceiling. No other thoughts dared to enter her mind.
“I…” she began to say, her eyes remaining locked on the ceiling. “I don’t have my clothes. They were sent to be cleaned.” Evonne waited for him to reply; instead, she heard him walk across the room and then return to the bed. She felt the weight of something thrown on her feet. Looking down she saw her clothes neatly folded on the bed. Her eyes found Gabriel grabbing his coat.
She sat up, holding the covers over her chest. “Are we leaving so soon?”
“As soon as you can get dressed,” he replied, pulling on his coat. He then ran his fingers through his long hair before tying it back.
Evonne paused as she looked at her clothes. “Can you leave the room while I get dressed?”
He stopped to stare at her.
For a moment she thought he wouldn’t speak.
“After what happened,” he finally said, “you’re worried about being seen now?”
Evonne detected that he wanted to laugh. She bit her bottom lip. “This”—she glanced down—“is out of context with what happened. So yeah, call me insecure or whatever you like.” Her temperature was beginning to show, yet she tried to keep herself calm. Why am I angry?
Gabriel remained quiet once more. He then turned around, his back facing her. With a sigh, Evonne stood from the bed and dressed. Her legs felt tired and weak. She wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep the whole night through. The Jeep, she remembered. I can sleep in there.
After getting dressed and slipping on her boots, she threw on her coat and was ready to leave. She never once felt welcome here. Even behind closed doors, she could imagine the many whisperings about her. “Alexander’s daughter? What is she doing here?” Yes, leaving gave her the greatest sense of relief. And where havens may be just that—sanctuaries—Evonne was beginning to loathe each and every one of them. In her mind, she didn’t belong in such places, nor would she ever feel at peace while within their walls. No place felt safe to her. And perhaps that was her human side talking, the part seeing herself as prey.
The hallway was remarkably quiet. Even though it was sunset, Evonne could only see a few vampires and humans walking about. She was thankful of this. With every set of eyes falling upon her, the more she imagined what their thoughts may be. And what did they think when they saw her obediently following Gabriel?
She picked up her pace to walk by his side. He glanced at her as he continued walking. For a moment, she thought he would say something, to explain how it was best for her to remain behind him. But he said nothing.
Out by the cars, Gabriel opened the back door and told her she could rest in the back. Evonne nodded and did as he suggested. As she lay in the back, she heard the sound of the doors locking. Still, she didn’t feel safe.

Gabriel stood by the door to Saros’ room. He raised his hand, and instead of knocking, he lightly scratched. The door opened as a female vampire answered. She gave low, respectful bow and stepped to the side, bidding him to enter.
From underneath the gossamer canopy, Saros moved from the bed and approached. Her voice called out, a whisper to some, “Have you come to collect Keelan?”
Gabriel’s eyes moved to Keelan as he saw him leave the bed, fully clothed and ready to leave.
Saros looked upon him, as well. “Allow time for your senses and strength to fully recover,” she instructed. “Stay close to your sire until that time.”
Keelan gave a nod in acceptance as he walked past them and left the room.
Gabriel’s eyes remained on Keelan. There was something unspoken between them, something even Keelan’s weakened senses could detect. He looked back at Saros to find her staring at him.
The languid smile once on her face had dropped into an expression of contempt, if ever so faint. “You still have not listened to a word I have said. If it is to be, then my request is for you. Do not dance around my wishes, child. If you deny me a second time, then I will throw her to the wretched underlings.”
Gabriel felt his jaw tense. If he were human, he would’ve taken a deep breath at this moment. Instead, he bowed and said, “Thank you, Lady Saros.”
He left the room and found Keelan waited in the hall, receiving not a word or a glance as he walked past him. The pace of his walk shown his eagerness to be far away from this hole in the ground.
Keelan could hold his tongue no longer. He waited to speak until they were away from prying eyes and ears. “I may lack some strengths, right now,” he began, his eyes coldly staring at Gabriel’s back, “but I can still sense your uneasiness around me… and her scent.”
Gabriel ignored him.
“The way you’re acting,” he continued, “you used her.”
“‘Used’ isn’t the correct term,” Gabriel defended, his voice calm. “I never used her.”
“But you took her when you knew I was in no position to stop you. Look at me. Look at me!”
Gabriel continued walking, refusing to answer. There was no way around it. Keelan needed to know. “It was either that or do as Saros asked.”
Keelan stopped walking as concern crushed his rising anger. “What did she ask?” He watched Gabriel move further down the hall, still not replying. “Gabriel. What did she ask of you?”
He finally stopped and walked back to face him. “She has chosen—ordered me to become her sire. So which is it you would‘ve chosen for me to act upon?” There was a little sting to his words.
“She… she asked you to do that?”
“It is the strength of her bloodline she is concerned with.”
“And you refused?”
Gabriel paused before replying. “She doesn’t belong to me, so it is not my place.”
Keelan’s anger returned. “Yet you shared your bed with her.”
There was no other explanation from Gabriel as he remained silent.
“Where is she now?” he asked.
“Waiting for us in the Jeep,” he said as he turned and continued down the hall.
“Gabriel,” Keelan called out.
He stopped.
“I will forgive your indiscretions this time. But touch her again and you will find me less forgiving.”
Gabriel looked beyond Keelan and saw several others enter the hall. “Let’s continue this some other time. I want to leave this place as soon as I can.”

Stirring awake, Evonne felt the vibrations from the Jeep, telling her they were on the road once more. How tired was she? She didn’t even notice them get in or the Jeep turning on. She glanced at the clock on the dash. 1:48 a.m. And they left at sunset?
Evonne rolled onto her other side and used the duffle bag, the one carrying Gabriel’s clothes, as a pillow. It was surprisingly easy to rest in the moving Jeep. She wasn’t sure why she was so tired. She didn’t feel ill or stressed, yet her body constantly craved sleep.
The blood, she remembered. Could that be the cause? Though she had taken Keelan’s blood before, this wasn’t the same. The effects of Gabriel’s blood acted differently within her. Was it because she came so close to crossing that line? It felt as though a battle was taking place within her body, sending herself into a lethargic state.

The Jeep pulled into the driveway.
In the back, Evonne woke once more, seeing that they were back at the old Victorian house. She looked at the two sitting up front and waited for either one to speak.
“What’s wrong?” Keelan finally said, taking notice of Gabriel’s uneasiness.
With his mind stretching beyond the house and into the surrounding woods, Gabriel sensed the presence of others, all strategically placed. “We’re not alone.”
“Werewolves?”
“Humans.”
The relief on Keelan’s face turned to fear. “Are they hunters?”
Gabriel picked up on a telltale trait within the humans’ placement. “By their formation… they’re from SEVEN.”
“SEVEN? What are they doing out here?” The relief he once show was replaced by fear.
“That should be obvious. They’re searching for our precious cargo.”
“If it’s SEVEN,” Evonne began, “then my father sent them. He’s forces were damaged in the in the fight, and he uses SEVEN as a backup.”
Gabriel threw the Jeep in reverse. “They’re closing in.”
The Jeep returned to the road and swiftly maneuvered over the dark, countryside. In response to the fleeing vehicle, two sets of headlights emerged from the side roads. The chase began.
Evonne peered out the back window and at the following vehicles, their headlights set on high and moving in close. The Jeep picked up speed. Sensing the urgency in a quick escape, she lowered herself back down beside the duffle bags.
The chase, heated at first, shifted into a crawl as they left the quiet country road and onto the main streets of a nearby town. There was no possible way to outrun them with the threat of local police scouring for any speeders. The chase had to end elsewhere, a place void of houses and prying eyes. And within Gabriel’s calm mind, he knew where to lead SEVEN’s band of hunters.
As the Jeep moved onto another series of single-lane roads, its speed increased. The single-lanes then gave way to a gravel road, and finally a washed out road, sporting deep ruts and large, exposed rocks. The Jeep handled the tough terrain with ease. Evonne, however, struggled to keep herself steady, even while sitting. The road climbed higher on the mountain, its tricky surface slowing down the pursuing vehicles.
Looking beyond the front windshield, Evonne could see the headlights lighting no further than the bushes and tree limbs overgrown along the road’s edge. The thick branches then scrapped along the Jeep’s body, some even snapping under the force of the passing vehicle. From behind, the lights of those pursuing faded further from sight, eventually disappearing. But they still followed. Evonne knew that not even the roughest roads would stop them.
The road ended as it gave way to a large clearing. Off to one side, the headlights lit up a metal structure, its skeleton frame stretching toward the sky. It was a fire-tower, used mainly in the fall months to search for any new fires sparked within the dry, dead underbrush. But for most of the time, the area on top of the mountain was used by local teens as a place to gather and drink the boring nights into more numbness.
The Jeep headed for the forest’s edge and stopped, keeping the road’s mouth behind them. Gabriel turned off the engine.
“What are you planning to do?” Keelan asked. He hoped they would enter the woods and perhaps outrun them that way. But it was too late in the night for that. Dawn was in an hour.
“I plan to have a chat with them,” Gabriel answered, moving from his seat and into the back. Evonne slid to the side and watched as he opened one of the duffel bags and began to remove several empty magazines as well as two .45 caliber handguns, setting them to the side. He then removed two boxes of ammo and handed one to Evonne. Without a word of instruction, she began to load the magazines.
“Get back here, Keelan,” Gabriel ordered, releasing the magazine from one of his guns.
“This is SEVEN you’re planning to go up against!” Keelan protested, refusing to leave his seat. “Do you think they’ll let us walk away? You know they came prepared for a fight. We are the ones at a disadvantage here.”
“There were two vehicles, each carrying six hunters. The others waiting at the house are perhaps on their way here, as well. I have a good chance at taken out these twelve before the others arrive.”
“You’re insane!” Keelan saw the headlights appear through the overgrowth and onto the clearing. “There’s no way you can take on a dozen hunters from SEVEN.”
“They’re humans, not werewolves. I can take care of them.”
A rasp of disgust left Keelan. He still wanted to take their chances in the forest, even with dawn approaching. Giving in, he left his seat and joined them in the back, grabbing a gun from the bag and a handful of bullets. All of Gabriel’s ammo, custom made silver bullets, were created for him by some old friends. And after tonight, he may need to revisit them sooner than he expected for more.
Placing the loaded magazines within his coat and the readied guns concealed behind his back, Gabriel looked through the Jeep’s tinted glass, surveying the hunters as the SUVs’ doors opened. Two hunters, each carrying a rifle of SEVEN’s own design, made their way toward the Jeep. Capable of delivering silver stakes as fast as a crossbow, the weapons had the universal use in dealing with both werewolves and vampires. This added another obstacle for Gabriel.
“Stay inside,” he ordered, moving back to the driver’s seat. He opened the door. The two hunters scrambled back, returning to the safety of the SUVs. Gabriel waited a moment longer before stepping outside.
Evonne and Keelan hunkered down and listened as Gabriel closed the door and stepped onto the hood of the Jeep, and then onto the roof.
A man from the SUVs called out, his words barely audible to Evonne. “We only want Alexander’s daughter. You can walk away unharmed. Just hand her over.”
On top of the Jeep, Gabriel studied the SUVs. The humans kept themselves quiet, not even returning the incoming calls buzzing over their radios.
“You see,” began Gabriel, finding no trust in their request, “this is where I’m confused. Alexander knows me, and he knows I would never cross him.”
“Just give us Evonne. We don’t care about your affairs with Alexander. We have been ordered to bring her in at any cost.”
Gabriel raised his hands, showing he was unarmed. “Then feel free to check. I have nothing to hide.”
The two hunters from before stepped forward and cautiously approached the Jeep, their rifles aimed at the vampire. This one vampire was known to them by reputation only. He was said to honor SEVEN and its hunters. But why did he involve himself with this mess? Others within SEVEN’s ranks were puzzled, as well, when they learned of his involvement. It was very out of character for him. And perhaps he was telling the truth. Perhaps Evonne wasn’t with him. But their source was certain she would be there. Even when the house was discovered empty, the evidence pointed to someone else, other than the owners, taking up residence. There were blankets covering the upstairs windows and even blood discovered in the master bedroom. As their trusted source investigated the scene, he confirmed who the blood belonged to. They were then ordered to wait and see if their targets returned.
And their source’s assumption was right. Gabriel had a tendency to clean up his messes, to leave no trail connecting him to a scene such as the one in the house.
With their rifle’s still locked on the vampire atop the Jeep, the men moved to either side. In the back of their minds, they believed he still retained the honor for SEVEN and its hunters. And within this false sense of security, they unknowingly forfeited their lives.
In a quick series of movements, all blending into one flawless move, Gabriel grabbed the two guns concealed behind his back and aimed, firing them at once. The two men had no time to react. Each bullet smashed into their skulls and exited out the back, leaving a thick spray of tissue and blood entering the air, the light of the headlights catching every horrific detail.
Gabriel kept his hands out to his sides and relaxed his wrists, allowing the guns to remain loosely in his hands. The carefree change in his composure was meant to mock those within the SUVs. Two down…
“Is this the all-powerful SEVEN?” he shouted at them, taunting. “I thought you hunters were trained better than this.” He glanced around. “Well? I’m not going anywhere. Anyone else wish to come out and play?”
The hunters answered with silence.
Gabriel smirked. “All right! I’ll strike a deal with you. No one fires at me and I will not fire at you. Deal?”
“Throw down your weapons,” a man’s voice called out from behind the safety of the vehicle’s door.
Complying with the request, Gabriel jumped to the ground and threw the guns to the side. “Anything else?”
“Put your hands above your head step forward.”
Evonne lifted her head enough to see Gabriel move away from the Jeep and into the open. Three men approached, their weapons held steady on their target. They stopped and ordered Gabriel to step to the side, keeping a safe distance from him—safe in their minds. One of the men continued on, his job to search the Jeep for Evonne. He neared the passenger’s side and opened the door. With rifle held high, he looked inside. His eyes scanned the interior quickly and found Evonne sitting by the back door, her knees drawn up to her chest, cowering. She looked frightened to him.
“Are you here to save me?” she whispered.
The hunter lowered his rifle and his guard. As he moved further into the Jeep, a strong hand grabbed hold of him, pulling him into the back. Evonne watched as Keelan fought against the struggling man, his teeth tearing into the hunter’s neck without much of a fight. The man began to scream out, to warn the others. Keelan threw a hand over the man’s mouth, stifling his attempts. He drank fast, taking his blood in large gulps. This was the first time Evonne had seen him kill. The act seemed foreign to her.
The radio on the hunter’s belt clicked on, a lady’s voice ringing through sharply. Evonne leaned forward as the man slowly died underneath Keelan and grabbed the radio. She retreated back and listened to the woman’s voice.
“Carter? What’s your status?” the woman asked.
Evonne stared at the man, his eyes transfixed on nothing. Keelan continued to drink. She clicked on the radio’s receiver and answered, “He’s dead.”
There was a pause on the other end. The woman finally replied, “Who is this?”
Keelan lifted himself from the man and sat back, his body reveling in the onslaught of human blood.
Evonne click on the radio once more. “Tell my father to forget about me.”
“Come with us, Evonne. Your father misses you. He just wants you back. He doesn’t care about anything else. Listen to me—”
Evonne switched off the radio. She tapped its antenna to her cheek, thinking up her own plan to end this situation. Digging through the duffle bag, she found a box of ammo for her own handgun. She retrieved the gun from her holster and released the magazine.
“What are you doing?” Keelan asked, his eyes darting from her to the gun.
“They won’t shoot me.”

A man from the SUVs called out to the hunters standing before Gabriel. “Shoot him!”
The hunters reaffirmed their grips on their rifles, the barrels aiming for the vampire’s chest. The man on the right squeezed the trigger first, unknowingly singling himself out as the vampire’s first target. Before the silver arrow could leave the barrel, Gabriel was on the man, his hand gripping onto the hunter’s throat and the other ripping the weapon from the human’s hands. Gabriel dug his fingers into the man’s flesh and pressed deep. He pulled back, tearing through his skin and tendons, almost beheading him. The other hunter swung his rifle around and fired. The silver arrow struck Gabriel high in the upper chest, turning his attention to the other hunter. The hunter fired again, the arrow spiraling through the air, its target gone from sight.
From behind the hunter, Gabriel’s arm wrapped around his neck, pulling him back and sending him off balance. His other hand grabbed onto the rifle and twisted it away, throwing the pesky weapon far from them. He then turned the man to face the SUVs and used his body as a shield. The other hunters scurried about, arming themselves with various weapons, while using the vehicles’ doors as a lousy excuse for protection.
Gabriel wanted to laugh. He was almost insulted by their poor tactics. Were they really underestimating him? Or were they luring him closer just to take advantage of his over-confidence? He kept up his guard.
“Will you kill him to get to me?” Gabriel taunted.
The only woman among the hunters, sitting in the passenger seat of the fortified SUV, narrowed her eyes at the scene. At all costs, she recalled, words spoken to her by Alexander himself. She eyed the miserable man within the vampire’s arms. She didn’t really like Jason. He had a tendency to talk too much and popped his knuckles even when he wasn’t bored. At all costs…
“Take them both down,” she ordered.
Gabriel heard the woman and so did the man in his arms. As a result, the man began to plea to the woman, begging her to wait. He pleas fell into blubbering sobs.
The woman barked out the command, “Now!”
The remaining hunters unleashed their assault. Bullets upon bullets struck the man, some even hitting Gabriel, striking his arms, legs, and even passing through the human’s body and into his gut and chest. But the bullets were no concern to him. He knew well that they were waiting for a clean shot before using their prized rifles. With his human-shield already dead, Gabriel stepped closer to the SUVs.
“Cease fire!” the woman ordered.
The hunters’ attention shifted to the Jeep. Gabriel looked as well.
Leaving the sanctuary of the Jeep, Evonne walked into the open, her empty hands at her sides. Two more hunters left the SUVs, while the others held their weapons on Gabriel.
“Are you all right,” one of the hunters asked as he neared Evonne.
She shook her head. “You really shouldn’t follow orders from my father.” She reached behind her back and retrieved her gun from the waist of her jeans. Aiming quick, she fired two shots, shattering their knees. The men collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony and struggling to move away.
Evonne placed the gun’s barrel to her temple. “Lower your weapons!”
Within the SUV, the woman nodded at the other hunters. They lowered their guns. From the Jeep, she saw another person step into the open, this one armed with a handgun, as well. The woman’s eyes trailed down to the rifle by her seat.
Keelan approached Evonne, the gun in his hands locked on the hunters. “We have to head for the woods,” his whispered.
She went to reply but the sound of a gun firing caused her to jump. Keelan stumbled and fell to the ground. Evonne’s eyes widened as she looked upon Keelan’s lifeless form, the end of a silver arrow protruding from his chest. Then from her shoulder, she felt a hot stinging sensation enter her flesh. She glanced down and found the feathered end of a dart. The liquid moved into her bloodstream, its effects already being felt. Her legs left her first. Falling to the ground near Keelan, the drug quieted her entire body. She didn’t move.
Seeing this, Gabriel dropped the dead human and ran for the hunters, reaching them before they had time to raise their weapons. With his hands alone, he tore into the next two hunters, slashing through their clothes and skin, spilling their insides. The final three hunters scattered, each looking for a clear shot of the vampire.
Gabriel went for his next target, the deadliest one of the remaining three. The woman. She ran from the SUV and into the path of the headlights, ready for the vampire. But as she turned, his hand was at her throat, pushing her to the ground. Gasping for breath, she felt his mouth on her neck and then his teeth.
She squeezed the trigger. The vampire’s body grew ridged, then motionless. The blind shot was a perfect one. Rolling him off of her, she let a sigh of relief. Too close. She placed a hand to her neck and felt the blood leaving the bite. Very close. She stood, hand still over her neck, and walked over to Alexander’s daughter. Kneeling down, she investigated the gun once in Evonne’s hand. The chamber and magazine were empty.
By Gabriel’s body, the two other hunters stood. One man held a black coated machete in one hand and a rifle in the other. He placed the machete’s edge to the vampire’s neck.
The hunter scoffed. “How easy it would be to kill this one right now.”
“Ramsey, don’t,” the other one pleaded. “We have orders not to kill him.”
“ ‘At all costs,’ Alexander said. Remember?” He pressed down on the machete.
“We have her now. They get to live.”
The hunter sneered. “These things aren’t alive to begin with.”
“Ramsey!” the woman snapped out. “Back away from him!”
In a growl of protest, he lifted the machete and walked over to the fallen hunters, still in pain from their shattered knees.
The woman removed the radio from her belt and spoke into the receiver. “We have her.”

The last of the red light faded as the final vehicle headed back down the rough, washed-out road. A sole figure stood among the clearing, left there by the last three vehicles to arrive. He served his purpose and was now on his own mission. He had waited off to the side as the hunters took care of the scene. Out of the twelve hunters who followed the Jeep there, only five survived, two of them without any injuries. As backup arrived, the action had already taken place. The hunters moved quickly, gathering up the dead and injured, as well as securing Evonne for the trip home.
Dawn was close. He could feel it. Not much time.
Kneeling beside Keelan first, he removed the silver arrow. It amazed him still how such a simple object could bring down something so powerful. He then left Keelan’s side and walked over to Gabriel. For a moment, he contemplated leaving him there at the mercy of the bright, morning sun. It was a nice entertaining thought, but it was only a thought. Giving in, he pulled the invading arrow from Gabriel’s chest.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Keelan’s said, his voice groggy.
Zachary nodded. “I couldn’t sit back and watch you two smolder into dust, now could I?”
Gabriel awoke and struggled to sit, his body still fighting off the numbness left by the arrow. His eyes lifted as he took in the scene.
“They took her,” Keelan concluded.
“The sun…” Gabriel muttered. “We have to find shelter.”
“I know of a place,” offered Zachary. “It’s a small haven, about an hour from here.”
Keelan pulled himself to his feet. “An hour. That’s cutting it close.”
“We could use the ground,” said Zachary.
“I’m not sleeping in the dirt,” Gabriel replied, insulted by the suggestion. He stood on weakened legs and walked toward the Jeep. “Will head for the haven.”