33

he estate was abuzz with the evening banquet, celebrating the eradication of one of the most largest haven’s in Europe. The SEVEN headquarters there had been planning the raid for nearly three years. All of the careful planning and investigation led to the impressive operation. Only twenty-five hunters were lost, while more than one hundred vampires were slain. Needless to say, those in SEVEN and Eden were on cloud nine.
Evonne, however, was asked by her father to join the banquet but politely turned down the invitation. Though Pax tried to coax her to join as well, even offering to act as her bodyguard against the uncouth hunters, she remained steadfast. She didn’t feel right attending the dinner. Things were still to raw for her, and to act like nothing was wrong taxed all of her strength. Sure it was easy to play off any lingering emotions in front of her father and a handful of cooks, but to face a crowd as large as the one scheduled to be there that night, her skin turned cold at the thought. Her room, as it had been many times before, served as her only sanctuary.
Finishing her dinner—brought to her by one of the cooks—Evonne found herself at her computer once more. Earlier in the evening, she logged onto Watchtower and checked in on the aftermath of the raid. There, listed with the known dead, the haven was editorialized as a triumph. Her stomach turned. Where she once saw her father’s world in black and white, she was now seeing the many shades of grey.
Evonne’s felt a cool shudder move from within her gut and out to her skin.
Tonight. It’s happening tonight.
She didn’t know how she knew it, but somewhere within her spoke the truth. She needed to get ready.
Rushing over to her closet, Evonne began to redress, pulling on her boots, dark jeans, simple tee-shirt, and her knee-length leather coat. She then grabbed the packed duffle bag and her laptop. Opening the laptop case, she safely placed the loaded flash drives inside. As she finished gathering what she needed, Evonne set both bags beside her bed and waited.

The guards at the front gate volunteered themselves to work during the banquet. To them, it was just a fancy dinner set aside for the higher-ups, as well as an excuse to have all of the leaders under one roof for the night. The four guards joked about those within the house, each one taking turns to alleviate their boredom.
One guard’s attention turned from the carefree banter to the road beyond the gate. A dark car rolled toward them, its headlights off. The other guards ceased talking, their composures turning defensive as they readied their rifles. The car rolled to a stop. The guards waited.
Taking his time, the driver stepped from the car and approached the gate. The guards narrowed their eyes at the dark form of a man. As he neared, the lights from the gate and gatehouse shone on his face. These four guards, however, had never seen this one vampire before, and in that fact, they held their judgment.
“State your name and business here,” one guard called out.
“Am I so quickly forgotten?” the vampire replied.
Another guard raised his rifle up higher, aiming the barrel through the bars. “Answer the questions!”
The vampire’s grey eyes went from one guard to the next, waiting for the right sign to continue.
From above, the gate’s lights, including the gatehouse, went out, blanketing the entire scene in darkness.
The vampire rushed forward, grabbing the gun’s barrel and yanking it through the bars. He then removed the handgun concealed underneath his coat and fired four shots, each hitting their mark in the chests of the guards. The vampire lowered the gun and walked back to the car.
The gate’s lights returned to life, lighting the bodies of the dead guards. A loud clank rang forth as the gate opened on its own.
Back in the car, Gabriel passed the carnage at the gate and drove toward the house. He was amazed at how easy the first part of the plan played out. The next part, however, held the most uncertainty.
Before the large house, two dozen vehicles were parked. Gabriel stopped the car, leaving the engine on, and headed for the front door.

Within the security room, the guard on duty caught sight of a warning flashing across one of the monitors. He typed in a few commands, his fingers flying over the keys. Nothing happened. He picked up the phone and dialed. The other end picked up.
“Sir,” the guard began, “this is Maurice. I’m not sure, but we may have a problem up here.”
From within the heart of the banquet, Alex hastily replied, “I’m heading there now.”

Evonne lay on her bed, her mind too restless for sleep. A part of her wondered if her realization was nothing more than wishful thinking. But the thought was as clear to her as any other. This was her last night at Eden.
She heard her door open. Her stomach dropped, thinking it was her father. And what would he say if he saw her dressed and ready to leave? Her eyes studied the man’s silhouette.
“Get your things,” she heard Gabriel say.
Evonne stomach dropped even further as she quickly grabbed her bags and waited by his side. Gabriel then took hold of her hand and led her to the stairs, still keeping his mind alert. As they neared to bottom of the stairs, the plan hit its first snag.
Rounding the corner, Alex and a hunter entered the large foyer. Evonne saw them and wanted to run for the front door. Gabriel, however, never changed his pace. He continued on as though he didn’t see them.
“What are you doing?” Alex yelled. He expected something was going on, but not this.
Stepping from the stairs, Gabriel stopped, his eyes slowly finding Alex, his own expression showing a look of annoyance. “You are at a disadvantage, my friend.”
“Evonne,” Alex pleaded, keeping his voice calm, “go back to your room.”
Drawing in closer to Gabriel’s side, Evonne shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t do that.”
The hunter near Alex raised his rifle quick and aimed. In the moment it took for him to ready his weapon, Gabriel had his own gun raised and fired. The hunter fell back, the single shot to the head enough to silence that threat. He then aimed at Alex.
Evonne gripped tighter onto Gabriel’s arm, quietly begging him not to fire.
Gabriel keep his eyes on Alex. “I know you carry a gun on you at all times, filled with silver bullets. You have so ever since Sharon was killed. I can constantly smell the gun powder on you.”
Alex tried to show no fear as he stood strong before him. “Please, don’t. Just leave Evonne here and I will see that no one goes after you.”
Gabriel stepped away from Evonne and approached Alex, the gun still aimed at his head. “You know why I hunt down wolves? Why I watch them for days, finding the best way to strike, then kill them slowly? Because wolves do not plead for their lives. They fight back. Even with their dying breath, they fight back. Humans often yield before the first strike is even dealt. And to look at you now… My theory stands true.” His eyes studied him a moment longer. “Your phone, please.”
Fumbling through his pockets, Alex handed him the cell phone. Gabriel took the phone with his free hand and squeezed, crushing it. He dropped pieces to the floor.
“I won’t let you get away with this,” Alex fumed.
“You cannot decide her fate,” he said, lowering the gun. “Hunt me or your daughter and you will find a legion swarming in to cleanse this place.” He grabbed Evonne’s hand once again and headed for the front door.
“Evonne!” Alex screamed. “Don’t do this!” He watched as they left the manor. Knowing he was greatly outmatched, he ran for his office and scrambled for the phone.

In the car, Gabriel sped down the driveway and through the gate. Evonne caught a glimpse of the dead guards as they passed. All of this for her? She glanced back, seeing the lights from the gate vanish through the trees.
She settle back in her seat. “Thank you.”
“I’m not the only one you need to be thanking,” he informed her.
“So it wasn’t just you?”
“I was the only one brave enough to storm in there. You will meet the others later.”
Evonne relaxed further in her seat. She wanted to cheer in relief, to scream out her freedom, to laugh in excitement, but most of her just wanted to cry. She imagined in the upcoming days, as her father and his assistants checked her room, they would find the single file she left active on her desktop computer. It was a simple letter addressed to her father. It contained all the things she wanted to say to him. Maybe this time he’ll listen.
Headlights from behind them flashed on. Evonne jumped in her seat and looked back, squinting at the vehicles closing in.
“Don’t worry,” Gabriel said. “They’re with me.”
Forcing herself to breathe, Evonne inhaled deep to calm her nerves.
The two hour drive felt more like ten. She kept looking back, waiting to see if any of her father’s men, or SEVEN, caught up with them. Evonne tried to visualize where they were heading, but she never traveled on the roads Gabriel took. She did catch a glimpse of one sign as they entered Virginia and assumed they were heading east. The winding, two lane roads turned onto a straighter interstate. Another level of calmness reached her.
After an hour on the interstate, they pulled onto a series of smaller, less crowded roads. The final, single-lane road led them to a tall, steel gate. A single guard ushered them through. Like the other havens, this one had underground parking as well. The two vehicles parked amongst the others.
Evonne saw the other car for the first time. This one was a large, dark van from the late 1980s. The side door slid open as Keelan and Zachary exited. The driver and passenger were two Evonne had never seen before.
“Stay close,” Gabriel told her. “This place is young as well as many of its inhabitants.”
She nodded.
He seemed worried to her. She couldn’t understand why. They were safe now, weren’t they? Perhaps he didn’t trust this place. But why come here? Why not hide someplace outside of SEVEN’s radar?
Watchtower… They didn’t know about the database.
Evonne grabbed her laptop case while Gabriel grabbed her other bag. She stayed by his side as they entered the haven with Keelan, Zachary, and the two other vampires following. Neither one spoke. As they reached the bottom level, Gabriel opened the door to a moderate-sized room. Evonne and the others stepped inside. A girl—a vampire—lay on the sofa. She sat up as they entered. Her wavy, auburn hair was kept loose, and cascaded down to her lower back. Her true age, however, was unknown to Evonne. Even though she looked eighteen, she knew better than to guess their ages on appearance alone. Zachary went to the vampire’s side, filling her in on the night’s events. She seemed relieved that everything went smoothly.
Keelan closed the door as everyone filed in. On the long table, Evonne saw three laptops open, their screensavers on. One of the other vampires, the one looking like a lost member from a punk band, unloaded the gear he was carrying. He sat the laptop and rolled-up cords on the table. He looked interesting to Evonne. His dark hair was short and spiked out with gel. With his many tattoos, he also had a collection of piercings: two in his eyebrow, one below his lower lip, and several in his ears. The other vampire looked more like a modern heavy metal fan. A tribal tattoo snaked up the back of his neck and over his shaved head. He had twice the muscles than the other vampire, but both vampires carried themselves with the same confidence.
The vampire with the piercings spoke first. “Welcome to our little command center. My name’s Emery, the brains behind this brilliant operation.”
The other vampire, the brutish rocker, as Evonne dubbed him, took out a cigarette from his pack and lit it. As he spoke, Evonne picked up on his faint Australian accent. “Who are you calling the ‘brains’? Without me, we wouldn’t have found the little security hole. By the way”—he extended his hand to Evonne—“my name’s Mikolas.”
She shook his hand, smiling politely. Gabriel sat her bag on the bed and took a seat in one of the free chairs. Keelan, however, leaned against the foot of the bed, remaining more quiet than usual.
Emery stole a cigarette from Mikolas’ pack, even swiping his lighter. “So you’re the prized daughter of ‘Alexander The Great.’ ” He shook Evonne’s hand, as well. “I’m glad to finally meet you. After nearly a month of planning, everything went off without a hitch.”
Gabriel spoke up. “Not quite.”
“What do you mean?” Emery asked, taking a draw from his cigarette.
“Alex tried to stop us.”
Mikolas took an interest in the conversation. “Did you kill him?”
A snap of anger came to Evonne. The way he said it seemed so cold.
“And turn him into a martyr?” replied Gabriel. “No. If he goes after anyone, it will be me.”
“You should’ve shot that bastard!” Emery scoffed, shaking his head. “Here was you shining moment to take him out, yet you let him live. Wow. I’m absolutely amazed by your restraint.”
“Don’t talk like that about my father,” Evonne almost shouted.
Emery appeared shocked at her reaction. “Why are you sticking up for him? That man kept you locked away in his fortress. He deserves no sympathy.”
Slamming into Emery, Zachary pushed against him, sending the young vampire into the wall. He sneered, his own anger showing at his careless words. “He is my father, as well! Though he may fight for something unattainable, he still fights for what he believes.” Zachary back away and walked over to the sofa. He took the auburn haired girl by the hand and led her from the room.
As the door closed, Mikolas was the first to speak. “Anyway,” he began, writhing at the tension, “do you think Alex will come gunning for you?”
“Most likely,” Gabriel acknowledged. “I’m not too worried about him.”
Emery tossed the broken cigarette in the ashtray and stole another one from Mikolas. He glanced at Gabriel. “You should be worried.” He then addressed Evonne. “Please pardon my rudeness, but I detest your father. It’s nothing personal against you or your brother… Well, not your brother. I don’t like him either. But your father, I can’t stand him.”
“Thanks,” Evonne mumbled as she took a seat at the table. She looked at the laptops, their screensavers each whirling a different design. “How did you all do it? My father increased his security after the attack.”
“Timing.” Mikolas smiled. “Perfect timing.”
“And this,” Emery said, typing on one of the laptops. He brought up a series of images, displaying the estate’s layout, guard patrols, and other schematics. “This is all from the existing information smuggled out from the earlier attack on Eden, including some updated information we gathered from reconnaissance missions. When their little party was confirmed, we knew we had our date.”
Evonne looked at the images, baffled by the extent of their work. “All of this for me?”
“Why not?” gloated Emery. “Plus, it was fun. Not the most extravagant job, I have to admit, but no less challenging.”
“Emery, chill,” Mikolas said, snuffing out his cigarette. “I’m going to find something else to occupy my time with for the rest of the night.” He turned to Evonne and added, “It was nice to finally meet you. Don’t be a stranger around here. We’re all family in one way or another.” He snapped his fingers. “Emery, heel!”
Scurrying after Mikolas, Emery followed him out of the room, closing the door.
Keelan sighed. “Children.”
“We’re only staying here for one day,” Gabriel reminded him. “We’re leaving at sunset.” And with that, he too left the room as well, keeping his eyes from them the entire time.
Evonne waited before speaking. “Is something bothering him?”
“What do you mean?”
She walked to the bed, placing the laptop case on the floor, and sat down on the other side, facing Keelan. “The whole drive here, he didn’t speak to me. Well, he did when we left, but even then, he didn’t look at me. Did I miss something?”
Keelan shrugged. “He’s like that. I’m certain it’s nothing you’ve done.”
I’ve done? Like a crack of lightning, she recalled the possible cause. She suddenly grew anxious, nervous, and nauseous at the same time. “I think I may know, ” she said as she shifted on the bed, unsure of how to phrase her next words. “Back at the haven with Saros, I, uh… Okay, here’s the thing. Saros—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “I know what happened between you and Gabriel.”
She felt a knot form in her stomach. “Are you mad at me?”
He genuinely looked hurt by the question. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“I thought, well, I just wasn’t sure…” She stopped talking and dropped her head onto the soft bed, covering her face with her hands. She wanted to laugh off the silly conversation, to talk about something else. She sat back up and inhaled a deep, well-needed breath. “It’s in the past.”
Why was she acting this strange around him? It wasn’t like she had any real ties to Keelan. Though he was the one who took it upon himself to see her free from Eden, a part of her begged for something further.
“I just remembered something,” said Evonne as she grabbed the laptop case from the floor and removed one of the flash drives. Rather than turning on her own laptop, she went over to the table and use one of the others. “When I saw David, he wanted me to sneak out a copy of Watchtower.” She glanced at Keelan, who left the bed to stand at her side. She could tell that he had no idea what Watchtower stood for.
“All of SEVEN and Eden are connected by a single network,” she explained. “This program—or database—is used to collect all of their information.” She pulled up the list of known havens. “Where are we now?”
Keelan answered, “Thirty miles north of Roanoke.”
Evonne clicked on several links, and then typed in her search. A new page popped up. “The Crescent Haven. Ruling Elder: Lucia. Established in 1952. Number of possible residents: seventy-five. Number of possible guests: twenty.” She looked up at Keelan. “They know everything.”
Keelan stared at the screen. “Stay here.”
Evonne watched him leave. He didn’t have to tell her twice. She knew better than to go wandering around a haven unaccompanied. Her eyes went back to the screen. Perhaps this was a bad idea—showing them Watchtower. David probably wanted her to sneak him a copy without anyone else knowing. And here she was planning to show others? I hope this isn’t a mistake.
Minutes passed before Keelan returned with Mikolas, Emery, and another vampire. This vampire looked young, his body trapped at the age of sixteen. His heritage, by Evonne’s assumption, was Native American, and his clothes were as average as any high school students’. Keelan introduced him as Nen.
Nen glanced around at everyone. “And this thing of utmost importance?”
Evonne spoke up, gesturing at the laptop. “This here. These are the private files belonging to my father and SEVEN.”
Nen narrowed his eyes at her. “Who are you?”
He didn’t know who she was? Evonne was shocked. She thought that the haven would be buzzing with her arrival. But it did make sense. They had to keep their plan a secret. Even as they walked in, they spoke to no one.
“I’m Evonne Ingram.”
Glancing at everyone else, Nen wasn’t sure if he should believe her. The enemy, here? “Are you the Evonne Ingram?”
“That’s what it says on my driver’s license. And yes, I actually have a driver’s license. Not that I really drive.” She stopped herself. Girl, you’re rambling.
Nen looked at the monitor. “And these are your father’s private files?”
Evonne stood up, giving him the seat. “You can take a look for yourself. It’s a database used by my father’s hunters and SEVEN.”
“Wait,” Mikolas said, motioning to the laptop. “Is this logged onto his system now?”
“No,” assured Evonne. “I downloaded everything to a flash drive before I left. Access to Watchtower requires the highest of security passes. It’s virtually impossible to hack into.”
“Impossible?” Emery mused. “I wouldn’t say that.”
Nen moved fast over the links and pages, astonished at what he saw. “I can’t believe it. They have the locations of nearly every major haven around the world.” He searched some more. “Jharell’s haven is even listed!”
“I told you that I had a good feeling about springing her.” Emery gleamed. He gave Evonne a hug. “You’re my new friend, you know that?”
Evonne gave a half smile. “Thanks.”
Emery pulled away and looked over Nen’s shoulder. Mikolas took a closer look, as well.
“Is there anything on the inner workings of Eden or SEVEN?” asked Mikolas. “Anything on security, procedures, or protocols?”
“Nothing like that,” reported Nen. “Hear, listen to this. ‘It has come to our attention that the London haven, Trinity Hue, created back in 1609, has taken on a sinister role. Many young humans, ages fourteen to twenty-five, have been spotted entering the haven under their own freewill. Later, some of them were found in the Thames River, their bodies mutilated and blood taken. Half of the bodies recovered had symbols and other meaningless designs carved into their flesh.’ ”
“Ah, London,” Emery sighed. “I miss that place.”
Nen clicked a link mentioned in the article. “Oh, look! I’m listed.” He read the small biography. “Not much on me though.”
“What about me?” asked Mikolas, taking an even greater interest.
Nen searched for his name. “Not much either. Just your birth name and a short description.” He read further. “Whoa, you have a tattoo there?”
Emery nudged Nen. “What about me?”
“Hmm, let’s see… Nope. Nothing on you.”
“What?” exclaimed Emery, staring at the screen. “Bah! Screw this. It’s not like people haven’t heard of me before. I know I may be considered young, but damn, not even a mention!”
“Lucia needs to know about this,” Nen informed. “Everyone needs to know about this.” He looked at Evonne. “Do you mind if I borrow this?”
She shrugged. “Go ahead.”
Nen closed the program and removed the flash drive. “Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am at this moment. You’re no enemy to me.” He gave a small bow and left the room. Mikolas and Emery followed—Emery still mad at the exclusion of his name.
“They’re a unique pair,” Evonne noted as she went back to the bed and sat down.
“Emery and Mikolas?” Keelan said. “I guess so. I just meet them this past month. Back in their old days, they were friends living in New York City. Just your typical underground music fanatics with a taste for high-tech ‘games’. They both became involved with the same girl. You can pretty much figure out the rest.”
Evonne found herself yawning.
“I can leave so you can sleep,” he offered.
“You don’t have to.”
“I’ll return at dawn. You’ll be safe in here until then.” He gave no other words of assurance as he left the room.
Evonne detected the same uneasiness with Keelan as she did with Gabriel. What is going on with them? Was there something else she missed?
She lay back on the bed, rolling onto her side. The dark room was comforting. She closed her eyes. Though in this moment, she could see herself still at Eden, laying in her bed within her darkened room, waiting for her father to come in and check on her. She wanted to see herself as free, but the feeling didn’t last. She knew her father would come looking for her yet again. Couldn’t he just take a hint? Twice she left Eden without any intentions of returning. But this time… This time would be different. She planned to do everything in her power keep herself from returning to Eden.