17

he small city of Kentwood, Virginia was the home to a large department store, three stoplights, and plenty of locally owned businesses. The city’s only real claim to fame was a local woman who became a regular on a daytime TV show. The other residents, however, preferred to their simple lives in this quiet city.
During the early morning hours a light rain rolled through the area. By the time a certain green truck entered the city, the rain had ended and the fog started to lift. The morning sun, though thankfully hidden behind the heavy clouds, still made itself known.
Evonne found her skin and mind feeling the effects of the sun. While she wanted to sleep, the stinging skin kept her awake. She used a deerskin jacket, left by the truck’s previous owner, to cover herself. She peered from underneath the jacket and saw Gabriel barely able to keep his eyes open against the burning light.
The truck finally came to a stop. Evonne looked around to see a line of shops.
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked.
Gabriel hid the truck’s keys under the seat. “We have to leave the truck,” he said. “And leave the jacket.”
“But the sun—”
“The jacket doesn’t belong to you.”
“Neither do the clothes or the truck.”
Finding himself faced with a contradiction to his own rules, Gabriel chose a different tactic. “Covering yourself while walking through town will attract attention. We only have to walk four blocks.” He pulled at the jacket. “Ready?”
Evonne nodded. Throwing off the jacket, she stepped onto the sidewalk. The rush of heat from the dull sunlight made the city feel like a desert. From somewhere within the heat, she felt Gabriel’s hand grab hers.
The four blocks seemed like four miles. Evonne couldn’t sense anything beyond the intense heat. She wondered how Gabriel managed to fight through it. But his age was the obvious answer.
At the end of the walk they came to a white, Victorian mansion. The house looked to be the oldest building in the small city. They went around to the back and entered through an unlocked door. Gabriel led Evonne into a room and closed the blinds.
“Wait here,” he said, leaving the room.
Evonne looked around and realized that the room was an office. The cluttered office held stacks of books in one corner, with papers and envelopes covering a desk and table. Certificates lined one wall, accompanied by old framed prints of country scenes. One thing on the desk caught Evonne’s attention. Curious, she picked up the red rubber duck and turned it over. The once cute image of a yellow rubber ducky was torn to shreds by the red ducky with horns. The item was a strange addition among the rooms other mundane items.
A man’s voice came from the hall. Evonne listened and heard Gabriel’s voice, as well. She sat the duck back on the desk and entered the hallway. The man was as tall as Gabriel, and had short, light brown hair. His clothes reflected his relaxed personality: jeans and a simple, long sleeve shirt. Evonne saw his brown eyes as he looked at her.
“My name’s Brian Huntington,” he said, extending his hand.
She nodded as she shook his hand. “Evonne.”
He returned his hands to his pockets. “I can see you two ran into a bit of trouble. Is there anything I can do?”
“We need a place to stay for the day,” Gabriel informed.
“Of course. I have a wake scheduled at one and a funeral at three, so I’m pretty much tied up for most of the day. But feel free to get settled in downstairs.”
“Thank you,” he said. The signs of fatigue were beginning to show in his voice. “One more thing. Jacob Lancaster, what do you know about him?”
“Alpha Lancaster? Well, he’s new to the title. He stripped the rank from Byron Mackenzie. Ever since then his territory has been creeping this way. Charles has taken a laidback stance here. He doesn’t want any trouble between the packs. There have been some fights between our borders, but nothing major.”
“The haven north of here, does it remain between the boundaries?”
“As always. That will never change unless the place is abandoned and the owners relinquish their rights to the property.”
“Twelve werewolves were killed there tonight. Though the place has been abandoned, ownership still remains. They were trespassing. But my real concern is why they were there. A female escaped, and when I found her, she made it sound as though they were from her pack.”
Brian looked concerned upon hearing this. “Did you happen to get a name?”
“Tamara.”
The expression of concern blended into dread. “Tamara is Lancaster’s mate.”
“Was his mate.”
“You killed her?” His jaw dropped.
“She told me she was his daughter.”
Brian shook his head. “Something’s not adding up.”
“She was hoping that the vampires in the haven would kill those from her pack.”
“Kill her own pack members? No alpha would send out such an order.”
Evonne spoke up as she recalled something from last night. “What if… what if they weren’t from her pack. What if they were chasing her? One of them seemed intent on finding her.”
“If there are any killings within my pack,” said Brian, “then I will know soon enough.”
He’s a werewolf? Evonne studied him, trying to pick up on what she missed, but nothing about him screamed werewolf. How was Gabriel able to pick up on their scent? Or perhaps there were more telling hints she failed to see.
A series of flashes from last night whipped around in her head. The relentlessness and the ferociousness of these creatures was unlike anything she had witnessed, more so than the night Eden was attacked. And this regular looking guy was one of them? She found an odd rush of nervousness racing through her.
Brian noticed the subtle change in the young vampire. “All right,” he said, a lightheartedness in his voice, “follow me.” He led the way to the narrow staircase. “I’d imagine that Mr. Daniels won’t mind the company.”
As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Evonne was startled to see medical-style room equipped with modern and old devices, and a couple of tall, metal cases that would look more at home in a garage. The shelves on the cases were filled with books, binders, and plenty of odds and ends. On the other side of the room sat the stainless steel doors to an elevator. Evonne spotted the body of an elderly man lying on a gurney.
She nodded at him. “Mr. Daniels?”
Brian smiled. “Nah, that’s Mr. Crawford. That’s Mr. Daniels.”
Evonne’s eyes followed his to see a fluffy, white cat laying in a pet bed.
Brian gathered the papers from a desk and said, “I have a few phone calls to make. I trust you remember your way around.” He gave another quick smile to Evonne. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Well, I’m off to a long day filled with sad people. You all get cleaned up and get some rest. I’ll be back sometime after four.” Brian left the room and made the quick jog back upstairs.
“Another one of your confidants?” Evonne smirked.
“He can still hear you,” Gabriel reminded. He went over to the wall and removed a medium sized picture. Behind it sat a keypad. Gabriel punched in the five digit code. He returned the picture to the wall, then grabbed one of the tall, metal cases and pulled.
Evonne was in awe. It was a secret door. Mr. Daniels saw the door open and left his bed to follow the two guests inside. As Gabriel closed the door, Evonne found herself in a pitch black corridor. A keypad on the other end began to glow. She saw Gabriel’s silhouette as he entered the second code. The sound of a metal clank filled the small corridor. Light entered as the steel door was pushed open. Mr. Daniels rushed past them and happily ran into the next room.
Stepping inside, Evonne was taken aback. It was an underground house. The low, ambient lighting made it feel inviting. And unlike the old house above, this place looked more like an upscale condo, as modern as it could be.
Evonne heard the door shut.
“Now he can’t hear you,” said Gabriel.
“How many werewolves are you friends with?”
“Many.” He stepped further into the room, turning on a table lamp as he passed.
The first room was spacious and held a large, leather sofa and other pieces to match. Across from it, hanging on the wall, was a flat, widescreen TV. The kitchen sat adjacent to the living room, without any walls to divide the two areas. Around the kitchen’s edge was a long bar with stools, a place that could sit eight people comfortably.
Evonne saw Gabriel entering the hallway and took off after him. At the end of the hall she found two bedrooms across from each other. Gabriel stepped into the smaller one.
The guest bedroom was like something from a movie or TV. No expense had been spared, and each room was kept immaculate. The house didn’t even look lived in.
She followed Gabriel into the guest bathroom. As he turned on the light, one thing was clear.
“Not many bright lights,” remarked Evonne.
“That’s the way Brian likes it,” he said, pulling some towels out of the linen closet and setting them on the lavatory.
“It’s almost like a cave or den, but I guess that’s the whole point.”
“You can take a shower or a bath, you’re choice. We’re in no hurry here.”
As Gabriel went to leave the room, Evonne stopped him, her arms pulling him close. She didn’t know what prompted her to hug him, but in the midst of the peculiar act, she wanted to push him away.
“I thought I lost you,” she said, tapping into the fear from last night. His arms slowly wrap around her. “If you ever do that again,” she warned, “I’m going to sic Demetrius on you. Got that?” She felt him laugh against her.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You were right. We should’ve left when we had the chance.”
Evonne pulled away, eyes narrowing at him. “Did I just hear what I think I just heard? You said that I was right? Little ol’ novice me, right?”
Gabriel fought the keep the smile away. “Get cleaned up,” he said, letting her go. He closed the door.
Grinning at herself, Evonne started the water in the tub. He finally admitted I was right, for once. She mentally did a silly dance of joy.
As the water continued to fill the tub she spotted a set of knobs on the wall. Flipping one switch the air jets kicked on, churning the water. The abrupt loudness caused her to jump. Her fingers fumbled with the dial as she turned it off. She went on to the next switch. This one she liked. A cool, blue glow came to the water, and with another turn, the light changed to red. Evonne switched it back to blue.
Undressing, she gave a quick check to the wounds on her body. Though all were closed, she could still make them out underneath the dried blood. By sunset, she figured they would be completely healed.
Evonne slid into the tub, the hot water soothing her skin and lifting away the old blood. It was a different kind of heat than the sun. This one warmed the blood within her body, unlike the sun that threatened to boil it away. The water, added with the pressure from the sun far above, Evonne felt the pull of sleep take hold.

Gabriel entered the master bedroom and went for the closet. Pushing the clothes to the side he opened the hidden panel, dropping it down and locking it into place. He looked over the assortment of weapons.
Though Brian was a respected member of Charles Forester’s Pack, he was originally a rogue. At the age of fifteen he was adopted into the Huntington family—a family already established within Forester’s Pack. It was Gabriel who brought him to Kentwood and asked the Huntington family to take him in. The generous family were quick to say yes. They taught him everything he needed to know, more importantly the history of his kind.
But now, five years after the death of his adopted parents, twenty-nine year old Brian Huntington felt alone, even within a pack of forty members. Once told he would never see the rank of beta or alpha, Brian began to see himself as an outsider. Nepotism had no place in pack society. Ranks were earned. And socializing with vampires was another thing this pack looked down on. But Brian saw this business—the Huntington Funeral Home—as a way to stay connected to those he once loved. In this place, he never felt alone.
Shortly after his parents death, Brian began his renovation of the old funeral home. This helped mask his real goal in creating his underground fortress. No one within the pack knew of its existence. And his concealed arsenal backed up the theory that he trusted very few in this world.
Gabriel grabbed a box of ammunition from a side drawer and removed the gun from the waist of his jeans. Sitting on the bed, he began to refill the magazine.

A sea within a sea, within a sea… Floating in a sea of sleep, in a sea of hot water, in a sea of carved earth, Evonne’s body continued to heal itself. As the fractured bones began their final stages, the dull pain left her body.
Evonne opened her eyes. The cool light of the water mirrored the temperature as the heat lifted away. How long was I asleep? She rinsed off her hair once more and pulled the stopper to drain the tub.
As Evonne dried off, she checked her injuries. Only light, pink skin marked the areas that once carried the menacing wounds. She pressed against her collar bone and winced.
“Okay, not finished yet.” She decided not to touch her ribs.
Wrapping the towel around her body, Evonne gathered up the clothes and stepped into the hall and looked for Gabriel. The kitchen and the living room were empty. On the bar, she found signs that he was there. A box of bullets sat next to his gun and knife. The gun itself sat on a rag with a small cleaning kit.
“Here,” said Gabriel as he came from the hall, carrying a handful of clothes and a trash bag. “Put the old ones in here.”
Evonne nodded at the new clothes. “Are they Brian’s?”
“They’re mine,” he said as he handed her a dark shirt and jeans.
She gave him a strange look as she took the clothes. “I’m not sure I should ask.”
“I stayed here while I helped him work on this place.”
Evonne tried to imagine him painting he walls or installing cabinets. “Very posh.” She smiled. “Did you pick out the granite counter tops?”
He gave no answer as he opened the bag. Evonne tossed the old clothes inside.
“It was for our survival,” he finally said. “The clothes and the truck. We needed them for survival, and not for our personal vanity.”
She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter anyway. I lost the necklace. Serves me right, I guess.”
Gabriel sat his own change of clothes on the bar as he began to undress, throwing the blood-stained clothes in the bag. “Leave it in the kitchen. Brian will get rid of it.” Grabbing his clean clothes, he headed for the bathroom.
Evonne felt awkward dressing in the open. But aside from Mr. Daniels eating from his bowl, she was alone. She dropped the towel and quickly dressed. Though the clothes were baggy, she preferred them to the human’s clothes. She could see where Gabriel was right about stealing from the dead. There was a sense of guilt as she looked at the black trash bag. But she had no guilt when it came to the cross necklace.
Setting the bag in the kitchen, Evonne took her time looking at everything, from the top-of-the-line appliances, to the living room’s modern design. The dark leather sofa beckoned to her. She took a seat and wondered if she was even allowed to sit on such pristine furniture. The furniture back at Eden wasn’t this nice. Then again, the old manor held many antiques. My father included, she inwardly smirked. Shit! There I go again. I even bring him up in my own inner conversations. But why? It always came back to him. Why couldn’t she stop?
Then a realization, weighing the amount of a Blue Whale, crashed into her.
I’m sorry.
Evonne’s head fell into her hands as she began to cry. A small amount of tears left her eyes, her weakened body unable to produce more. She no longer saw herself as a wayward daughter looking for her own life—her own voice, but a daughter missing her father. And last night she came close to never seeing him again.
Again? I’m thinking about seeing him again? Somewhere within Evonne, she imagined herself in her father’s arms, begging for his forgiveness. The fading vision was marked with an strange sadness. This wasn’t about wishing she could go back and change what happened. She was actually content with what she was. The sadness came from the disappointment she saw in her father’s eyes. She could see herself relapsing into familiar thoughts, ones that she was certain no longer remained. But the light at the end of the tunnel shone brighter than before. One day, all of this will be behind us.
Laying down on the sofa, Evonne allowed the sun to sing her to sleep.