Page 92 of This Blood that Bonds Us
“Well, I don’t much care what It is. She could be a fairy or a god or a demon, but it doesn’t matter to me.” I turned my attention to the hairbrush in my hand, feeling the wood grain and gripping it just as I had the blade of the dagger. “I want Her gone. I want my family back.”
I would find a way to be useful in the battle. Aaron and Presley had their roles, and I’d be close behind them when the time was right, but the dagger held the key to something. I just couldn’t figure out what and how to use it to help us in battle. If Anzola wanted to help, I wouldn’t say no.
What kind of person are you?Zach’s words rang in my head. I finally knew where I fell in line with the Calems.
I’d do anything for my family. I’d be anything. Even if it meant not being so nice. The love we shared was worth it.
Anzola smiled with perfectly straight bright-white teeth. “Spoken like a true warrior.”
Thirty-Nine
Presley
Since everyone thought I was at work, it was easy to get away. Although, I had no car. I searched to see if any services would take me around the lake, and all I found was a public bus.
I stared out the window as the bus meandered along at a snail’s pace. The old lady next to me kept trying to chat me up and smelled of perfumed powder.
What was this test about, anyway? What did The Family want with me? I remembered Akira’s words about some prophecy I’d ignored at the time. Akira said a lot of things and probably more than he should have said. He believed in a grand prophecy that my brothers and I were a part of.Bullshit, I’d thought at first, but now . . .
There was obviously something they wanted me to know or to see. The vampire cult that kills people wanted me. The one that killed Sarah. The unease built in my stomach on the ride there, and my heart nearly burst when I reached my stop.
The sun was leaving.Typical.With it, the temperature dropped.
Little flurries danced in the streetlight at the bus stop. I had to imagine I was playing a video game. An adventure where the guy had to put together the clues to find his family again, and each level got a little harder. That would explain my sudden anxiety, which I never got. I didn’t use to fear anything. When your brothers are there to beat anything and anyone up and you’re immortal, what was there to fear?
I could think of a lot of things now.
That thought brought me to the trailhead at Seer’s Point. I looked over the worn, faded infographics on the sign. Mostly, it stated things about not leaving trash, and there was a little map.
What would video-game Presley do? I moved my hand along the top and bottom of the sign. No one was around. I couldn’t imagine a ton of people walking the trails in the winter. My bare fingers caught something under the bottom edge. An envelope like the one from the pub. Inside was a large see-through piece of paper I unfolded and held up to the light. The biggest landmarkswere marked, so I lined it up with the map. A large black X marked a place just off the main trail.
They overestimated my ability to remember things. I took my sad little flip phone out and took a picture just in case.
The snow left water seeping into my pant legs. Was it part of the test? To see how far I’d be willing to walk alone in the snow? It was all a little too much for my liking. Like, wouldn’t one note suffice? It could’ve been an email or a text, but they’d made it into a game.
Of course. Akira loved games. He’d have no trouble having someone on standby to leave me clues before his inevitable demise.
Still, they didn’t have to do all this.So dramatic.
It was a cave. Why a cave? The light on my flip phone was dull and virtually nonexistent, yet I went into their creeper cave. I was shaking.
I smelled for blood or anything rotten, but there was just stone and dirt that grew stronger the farther I went.
The cavern narrowed, and a light appeared ahead. A battery-operated lamp sat in the dirt and illuminated a small area. There wasn’t much. Just a cardboard box, a duffle bag, and a small folding chair.
I plopped down, thankful my demise hadn’t been waiting for me.
Open firstwas painted in red on the black canvas bag.
It was a trap, and I was being such an Aaron. I’d thought he was an idiot for walking into one in Blackheart, and I’d just willingly done the same thing.
Thank god no one was there to see it.
I unzipped it while fearing the worst. A severed head. A bag full of snakes. Dead puppies—Now that would be vile.
Only, it wasn’t dead puppies. It was cash. Stacks of cash. The cardboard box was next, and at the bottom was a pile of pictures. My heart sank as I flipped through them. They were all of us in Blackheart. My family. Weird angles from the forest or the windows. Some of us laughing and others with more intimate moments. I noted the trees. Not all of them were from fall. Some were in the summer at the waterpark. Maybe earlier.
A weird unraveling started in my stomach until a tremble twitched in my fingers. They’d studied us. We were always within their grasp.
