Page 72 of Blood Illusions

Suddenly, a familiar voice pierced the silence. “Sawyer. Is that…you?”

I opened my eyes and couldn’t hold back the floodgates. “Dad.” I pressed my palms against his rough cheeks as I looked at him through a veil of tears.

His dull eyes looked at me as if he’d seen a ghost. “I’m not dreaming. It’s really you.”

I kissed his hand. “Yes, it’s me.”

He frowned. “Where’s your brother?”

“In jail,” I choked out, a bizarre cocktail of laughter and tears in my voice.

My father sighed, a sound that seemed to carry years of weariness. “You found…the symbols?”

I gave a half-smirk despite the swirl of emotions. “Yeah, found your little scavenger hunt clues, Dad. You always did have a flair for the dramatic. Good thing Damon and I are skilled at decoding ‘Dad’s guide to surviving hell.’”

He scanned the cell, his gaze lingering on the mummified remains. “I tried to save…them.” His voice cracked, raw with pain that went deeper than the physical.

“Dad, let me guess. You went full-on superhero mode again?” I gave his hand a gentle squeeze, a softness in my voice that I reserved for these moments. “Come on, give me the lowdown. What happened here?”

He exhaled a heavy breath, the burden of memory etched on his face. “It’s hard to remember. Everything’s blurry. My head…it’s like something’s ringing in my ears.”

Justice and I flashed each other uneasy looks.

Dad licked his dry lips. “Chaos broke out when the vampires stormed in. I laid down salt lines, thought it would keep them at bay. But the people here…they panicked, wouldn’t stay put. Kept crossing the lines.”

I listened, a cold knot forming in my stomach as the grim scene unfolded. I knew what he meant. When people panicked, it was like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a net. They’d scatter in every direction, refusing to listen to reason. Damon and I had experienced this millions of times.

Dad sighed again and leaned head against the wall. “They didn’t understand. Kept moving out of the circle. The vamps…they came right through. I yelled, tried to get them back, but it was too late. It turned into a bloodbath.”

His voice trailed off, leaving a haunting silence. The helplessness in his tone was something I’d rarely heard from him. This was clearly a different kind of horror, one even his seasoned experience couldn’t have prepared him for.

Dad’s eyes were heavy with sorrow. “I’ve seen a lot, but nothing like this. These creatures are playing by a different set of rules.”

His haunted gaze met mine, a silent plea for understanding. At that moment, I knew our fight had changed. We were up against something more dangerous than anything we’d faced before.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

I scanned the dark room, my heart pounding as I searched for a way out. The putrid smell of decay filled my nostrils, and my throat constricted with fear. My gaze landed back on Dad, slumped against the wall, his breathing still shallow and erratic. I knew I had to get him out of here before it was too late.

“I can’t carry you, Dad,” I told him, my voice trembling. “But he can.”

Dad’s glazed eyes followed my stare to Justice, who was kneeling beside me. He held the shotgun and gave him a hard stare.

“Who are you?” Dad asked, his voice hoarse.

Every nerve inside me tensed, and I flashed Justice an accusatory stare. Dad didn’t remember him. Had everything Justice told Damon and me been a lie?

Justice looked at him with deep brown eyes. “I’m Justice Cristea. You don’t remember me? You were attacked at the Shadow Mine, and I took you to the safe house?”

“No.” Dad’s brow furrowed as he processed the name. Confusion filled his eyes as if he were trying to recall something that had slipped his mind. He scrubbed his face. “From the Paranormal Mercenary Corps?”

I cursed under my breath. Of course Dad would recognize the name of vampire. This situation was about to get even more complicated.

Dad gave me a piercing glare full of disbelief and disappointment. “A vampire, Sawyer? You’ve been working with a vampire?” His voice was a low growl, each word steeped in a lifetime of battles against the creatures of the night.

“Dad, I—” I started, but he cut me off.

“A vampire killed your mother. Vampires killed these people. Tell me, how could you betray your family like this?” His words cut into my soul like a sharp knife.

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