Page 3 of Blood Illusions

“Really?”

“Yeah, it rolled across the trunk from east to west.”

I retied my ponytail. “Great. I really hope it doesn’t start talking.”

“So do I,” Damon agreed as he headed to the boulder.

He hooked the heavy chains around the rock, tugging to make sure they were securely fastened. I glanced at the motionless torso lying in the grave, holding my breath and praying it wouldn’t come back to life while we worked.

What kind of vampire was able to do this? Was this some twisted dark magic used by the PMC? What possible motive could they have for such a terrible act? The truce between us was already shaky, and this would make it come tumbling down.

The torso had been face down. Now, it was on its side. Damn it. “Damon, hurry!”

Damon revved the engine, and the Ford chugged forward, dragging the giant rock from its resting place toward the gaping hole. He leaped out of the car and undid the chains with trembling hands. We grasped either side of it and pushed with all our might, rolling it onto the torso with a squishing thud.

We grabbed our shovels and threw dirt on the boulder and the torso, pinning it to the ground. With every scoop of earth, my arms strained in protest. When we finally finished our grisly task, I trembled from head to toe.

I glanced at Damon. “What if it crawls out again?”

“Then next time, we’re making vampire s’mores. Extra crispy.”

We unlocked the trunk. The head had moved to the back again.

“Time to hit the road. Let’s give Headless a little separation anxiety. Maybe that will keep him still,” Damon suggested.

“God, I hope so.”

We loaded the chains into the trunk along with the shovels.

As Damon pulled away, I stared at the grave, hoping that thing wouldn’t move.

We had about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Aspen back to Denver.

I sighed and glanced at Damon, who was intently studying the horizon. He absentmindedly twirled a strand of his dark hair around his finger, which meant he was nervous. He’d done this since we were little kids, like when he was taking a test or thinking about asking a girl out.

“Do you think Dad is still going to be mad that I went on this hunt?” I asked cautiously.

Damon sighed heavily, his breath fogging up in front of him. “He’s got a one-track mind. And you two had a hell of a row before we left.”

I leaned my head back. “I don’t want to go to college.”

“I know. He’s got this nightmare on repeat, scared you’ll go down the same road as Mom. His biggest fear is losing you like he did her.”

I fingered the charm bracelet Dad had given to me on my sixteenth birthday. He’d found it tucked away in some of my mom’s belongings in the attic. After she died, he didn’t have the heart to go through any of them. He had been rummaging through the attic looking for something—I couldn’t even remember what—when he stumbled upon it.

The bracelet didn’t have anything to do with hunting. When I was six years old, Mom and I went to see the Phantom of the Opera, and I fell in love with it. I was only a little kid, but I still remembered it. She’d bought me a charm bracelet, and I lost it a year later, days before she was murdered. I was devastated. Then, losing her too had nearly sent me over the edge of despair.

Ever since Dad gave me the bracelet, I always wore it. It felt like she was with me, and it gave me a small piece of comfort when I was scared or lonely. “I’m not Mom. It doesn’t mean what happened to her will happen to me.”

“Yeah, I get it. But carrying around guilt like that, it’s like trying to drive with the brakes on. Doesn’t do anyone any good, especially him.”

“Tell me about it,” I grumbled.

He reached over and squeezed my arm gently. “Get some sleep. You’ll face him soon enough.”

I managed a small smile, even though I dreaded having the same argument with Dad for the hundred millionth time. My head bobbed, and I fixed my gaze on the snowflakes gliding down the glass pane of the car window. The rumbling engine came to a standstill as Damon softly pressed the brake. A gentle warmth emanated from the car’s heater, making it toasty inside. I closed my eyes for a second, not believing I could sleep for one minute.

The next thing I knew, someone shook my shoulder, rousing me from a deep sleep. “Sis, we’re home.”

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