Page 13 of Blood Illusions

“It’s not real deep, but you’re bleeding like a stuck pig.” I cleaned the wound with a rag, then put an antibiotic ointment on it.

“I’ll live.”

“Didn’t say you’d die, bro. You’re not going to be doing jumping jacks anytime soon, though,” I told him as I gently wrapped his shoulder with a bandage.

He gave me an admiring look. “You’re a great Nurse Nightingale.”

I smiled as I zipped up the medical bag. “Didn’t do anything you haven’t done for me.”

He didn’t answer me as he slowly started up the car again.

I sighed heavily. I couldn’t stop thinking of Justice. Was he hurt? Had he been playing games about rescuing us? Was that what he really looked like, or was it an illusion to manipulate stupid girls like me?

When I didn’t answer him, he shook his head slightly. “Gotta say, I didn’t see the bat thing coming. This is way out of our usual vampire nest playbook. Makes you wonder what else is out there that we haven’t seen yet.”

“That’s a comforting thought,” I mumbled.

I realized my wrist stung as if something had scratched me. I grabbed it. There was a long red welt where my bracelet had been. “Oh, no. It’s…it’s gone.”

“What’s gone?” He glanced at my shaking hand.

A hollow, painful pit blossomed in my chest and expanded. The same one I had when Mom died. A cold emptiness gripped me, chasing away the warmth as if I had stepped back to the day my mom was murdered. My lungs refused to move as if they had iced over. My cold heart cracked again, threatening to shatter into a million pieces.

I blinked away tears. As a lump formed in the back of my throat, my mouth turned bone dry. “The Phantom of the Opera bracelet Mom gave me.” Every word shook, and my voice faded on the last words.

Damon glanced at me, and compassion flashed in his eyes. He knew what that bracelet meant to me. He reached over and gripped my hand, squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry, sis. But we better gear up for round two. This isn’t your everyday, garden-variety nest. We’re in the big leagues now.”

My stomach knotted as I looked into the pitch-black night sky, clutching his hand tightly. I couldn’t help but wonder if we would survive this. I felt like we’d gotten kicked back to the minor leagues.

CHAPTER FIVE

Damon pulled the Fairlane into an overlook above the sprawling landscape of Denver. The twinkling lights usually brought Damon and me a sense of awe, but this time, it was tainted with fear, sadness, and guilt. We’d never run from a fight before, and this was definitely an uncomfortable feeling. One I never wanted to experience again.

We had never encountered anything like those vampires before. So powerful, so mysterious, so deadly.

I turned in my seat and stared out the back window. The soft glow of the streetlights only revealed pines, naked aspens, and the rocky side of the mountains. So far, the things hadn’t chased us down.

I glanced at him and rubbed my sweaty brow. “How’s your shoulder?”

He massaged it. “Hurts.”

I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. “What do we do now?”

He shrugged helplessly. “Find Dad.”

“But Justice didn’t tell us where he took him.” I struggled to keep my voice from trembling with frustration and defeat.

“My guess is he’s a guest at the PMC,” Damon replied grimly.

His tone didn’t sit well with me. My brows furrowed. “You don’t think he’s safe there?”

“Nope. He’s the only human among a bunch of supernaturals. If the PMC thinks Dad was hunting innocent supernaturals, they’re not going to be too happy.”

“These things aren’t innocent.”

“You and I know that, but does the PMC? If we find out the PMC created these things, the truce between us is broken, and it will be an all-out war between humans and supernaturals.”

“You keep saying that,” I whispered. “It almost sounds like you want there to be a war.”

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