Page 18 of Voyage of Fury and Fate

“Guys!” Luna’s voice echoes through the house. “You need to see this!”

Thorne and I race down the stairs at vampire speed, finding her standing in front of an oversized television set. A ticker runs across the bottom of the screen. “Read that.” She points to the screen.

Search teams are still looking for the two missing children. If you have any information on the whereabouts of 10-year-old Jensen Montgomery or 8-year-old Sarah-Beth Olson, please contact the authorities immediately. Both were last seen in the Meeting-Place area of Gulf Shores, Alabama.

“Could that be Patrice?” Micah asks, moving to Luna’s side.

“There’s no way of knowing, but my gut says yes,” Topher answers, as he and Amelia stand side by side on the staircase. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Tears fill my eyes, thinking of the two children she’s adding to her collection. “Can we save them before…before she changes them?”

Every pair of eyes in the room looks at the floor in unison, giving me the answer I already know. Turning them into mindless killing machines would have been the first thing on her agenda.

“How do we find them?” Luna asks the next question.

“Fynn’s coming back tomorrow morning,” Topher answers.

“We can’t wait until tomorrow!” I shout at the room of mythological creatures. “Tomorrow morning, she may be gone, or heaven forbid, she’ll take another child.”

“Elsbeth,” Amelia says, moving off the staircase. “The lycan must sleep and eat. The three of us don’tneed sleep, but they do. If we go out half-cocked and unprepared, we’re going to end up making dumb mistakes that will cost a lot more in the long run.”

“Two children are missing and most likely monsters by now. What could be worse?” I demand.

“Three children and one of us,” she retorts. Dammit, she’s right, and it pisses me off. I turn, walking away from the television. “Why don’t we go for a walk?” Amelia asks, moving to my side. She wraps her arm through mine, pulling me through the open sliding glass doors onto the deck overlooking the beach without giving me much choice.

We walk down the flight of stairs and past a small swimming pool in silence. The roar of the waves sends calming energy my way. I copy Amelia’s movements, taking off my shoes to walk in the white sand and stopping where the water meets the grit.

“I’m sorry,” she says, breaking the awkward silence.

“Why are you sorry?”

“I’m sorry you’ve had to learn how to be a vampire on your own.”

I huff a laugh. “It’s that obvious, huh?”

“I don’t know your story, but you’re not the only person who has one.”

I stare at the woman, not sure if I should be pissed or listen. “I didn’t mean to imply my life was worse than anyone else’s.”

“You didn’t. But you carry a huge chip on yourshoulder. It’s obvious in everything you do and, lately, everything you say.”

I feel the tears form behind my eyes with her words. My mind flashes to Kragen and the hole I lived in for a century. She’s right. I’ve been an insufferable bitch.

She starts walking, scuffing her bare feet in the water as she moves. “Do you mind if I tell you my story?”

“I’d like that.”

“Before I begin, please know that I am in no way saying that one person’s story is worse or better than another.” She sighs. “I can tell you’ve been isolated for many years. I think hearing from someone who shares a similar story could be helpful for you.”

I nod, not trusting my words.

Amelia takes a deep breath before continuing. “I was born to a single mother and never met my father. She raised me in the toughest neighborhood in New Orleans.” She huffs a laugh. “I say raised, but to be honest, she didn’t raise me at all. She left when I was thirteen. She would go missing for days at a time until one day, she never came home. I was alone without money to pay for utilities, food, you name it.”

“I’m sorry.” I don’t know why I’m apologizing.

“I’m not looking for sympathy,” she reprimands. “Topher’s mother was my school nurse, and she saved me. There’s a lot more to that story, but she’s the one who helped me when no one else would.” She stopswalking, turning toward the open water. “I was in high school when I first met him. I didn’t remember until I was changed into a vampire, but he followed me throughout my life, starting when I was just a child.”

“Who?”

---