On the Edge of Humanity (17 page)

“Ben? Say something,” I pleaded.

“I’m not sure I can. How can I agree to something I don’t know anything about? I don’t know the rules, the laws, any of the regulations. I’m not sure I even believe this entire vampire crap,” Ben said as he stopped pacing. “I would do anything for you and Sam. But I believe in a world where we live to grow old, have families and then we die.” Ben’s voice quivered.

“You have to agree. You and your dad are like family. Sam’s your best friend. Please, Ben.”

“Would you?” Ben asked.

“I don’t know that I have a choice.” My voice wavered.

Webb pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He punched some keys and waited.

“Tripp, my office.”

Tripp walked in before Webb had hit the off button on his phone.

“Sir?”

“Please take Ben upstairs,” Webb commanded.

Ben stopped pacing.

I swallowed hard. Tears pooled, threatening to spill over.

“Ben, let’s go,” Tripp said.

“
No!
You…you can’t do this. Webb, you can’t. Let him go. Please.” Tears streamed down my face.

“Humans aren’t ready to know vampires exist,” Webb said.

Tripp grabbed Ben by the arm and escorted him out of the room.

A blanket of fear washed over me. For the second time today, my human existence shifted, and all those in it were disappearing one by one.

Chapter 11

A
n hour later I paced
the carpet in front of the couch biting my nails. Webb had left me in his office alone while he addressed some issue in the building. What were they going to do with Ben? I started to tear up when the door opened and Webb walked in.

“How could you?” I ran over to him with my fingers balled into a fist, ready to swing. He clamped down on my hand. I tried to pull it away, but his grip was strong. A seed of hatred sprouted and my stomach clenched. I suddenly hated him. He had sentenced Ben to death.

“You need to calm down,” he said in a tone that permitted no argument. He steered me over to the couch. “Sit,” he said.

“I’m not a dog.”

“I said, sit down.” His nostrils flared.

It was the first time I detected a little impatience from the blue-eyed vampire. Now I was seeing the real side of Lt. Webb London. I crossed my arms over my chest and plopped onto the couch beside me.

“You’re a little dramatic,” he said as he stepped back from the couch.

“What? You told Ben that if he didn’t agree to keep a secret you’d kill him—and you think
I’m
dramatic?”

He laughed as he placed both hands on his head. “Ben is the least of my worries.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. My father is more important to you.” I enfolded my knees into my chest.

He laughed again. He was an irritating vampire that I wanted to beat to a pulp. My brother was missing, Ben’s neck was on the chopping block and this annoying, blue-eyed creature was more worried about a man I didn’t know and couldn’t care less about.

Hours had passed since we’d arrived, and I hadn’t seen any signs of Webb or his team doing anything to find my brother. With all the security around this place, it was going to be hard to get out of here, but I had to try. I had to do something to find Sam.

“You’re correct. Your father is important to me and to this team. But I haven’t spent the last twelve years helping my best friend search for his children, only to let your brother die, or kill his friend. I’m not the monster you think I am.”

He inched closer, his movement swift. His musky scent tickled my nose and my stomach fluttered. I lowered my head to my knees. I didn’t want to look at him.

His hand touched my head, then he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His light touch sent chills rippling up my spine.
What is it with him? Every time he looks at me or touches me, I get this weird lightheaded feeling. Does it mean I like the irritating vampire?
I didn’t like boys, not like Darcy did.

“Look at me, Jo.”

“No. You’ll only try to mesmerize me, or whatever you vampires do.”

“It’s called
compelling
. Vampires can compel humans to believe what we want them to believe. We, in essence, scramble their thoughts. We can even do it on some of the weaker vampires.”

“So why have you been trying to compel me?”

“I haven’t. I’ve been trying to calm you. You were so nervous in Mr. Jackson’s office. Your heart was pumping blood as fast as it could. I was trying to ease your nerves so we could talk, so you would listen.” He took in a deep breath. “I overdid it. So Tripp stepped in to prevent you from passing out.”

I kept telling myself none of this was real. Maybe the more I said it, the more they would become human.

“You see, Jo, vampires have unique abilities. Not all of us have the same ones. For example, Tripp can relax people by the way he touches them.”

I braced myself. Did I want to know what Webb’s special ability was? I picked up my head. “And yours?”

“I can create a telepathic connection with another vampire.”

I thought back to Mr. Jackson’s office and how Webb kept nodding to his guards. He must’ve been speaking to them that way.

“Does that work on humans?” I prayed that he’d say no. Otherwise, I was going to panic. The thought of him getting into my head scared the shit out of me. I didn’t want to hear his voice in my head. It was bad enough I was becoming a ball of mush around him.

“It’s been known to work on a select few of those with the vampire gene who haven’t crossed over, but no, not on humans. Basically, you’re walking a fine line between being human and becoming a vampire.”

I didn’t know whether to be more worried that Webb might be able to get in my head or that I was on the verge of becoming a vampire. Either way I wished the fine line that I supposedly was walking would lead me out of here, out of this building, away from this whole sordid situation.

“I carry the vampire gene, so what?” The words spilled past my lips as if I were a spoiled brat. But I didn’t care.

He narrowed his eyes and a muscle in his jaw ticked.

“I explained earlier today that some people choose to become immortal while others don’t have a choice.” He paused and dropped his gaze.

“Are you saying I don’t?” I held my breath.

“I’m not sure yet. But I hope you do,” he replied.

I was confused. My head was spinning from all this information. Why did he seem so concerned about me having a choice? Did he think I wanted to become a vampire? My choice was easy. There was no way that would happen. While some days I wanted to die, today wasn’t one of them.

“What’s the big deal?”

He studied me for a second. I was curious if getting into a vampire’s head also meant he could read minds.
God, I sure hope not.

“In my world we don’t like to force those with the vampire gene to choose between mortality and immortality. Like the human world, we have laws, lots of them. But the one we honor and protect the most is the right to choose between my world and the human world. As you heard Ben say, he believes in growing old. Some people who carry the vampire gene want to experience that, they want to grow old. They want to be as human as they can be. When your destiny doesn’t give you a choice...” His voice was sullen. It sounded as if he never had a choice.

He hit a nerve that resonated within me. Sure, I wanted to find my way, to get out of the world I was trapped in and to be free to make my own choices. But…

A sudden pain grabbed hold of my stomach and twisted it in a knot. I didn’t want to hear anymore. Still, there was a question burning inside.

“You become a vampire, how?”

Webb shifted his position. “Since you carry the vampire gene, the only way for you to become immortal is to drink a pint of your father’s blood.”

A chill crawled up the back of my neck and pinched me hard.

“So, you don’t become a vampire by another one biting you?”

The corners of his mouth curled. “Didn’t I tell you not believe everything you read? If I were to bite you now, all I would do is either satisfy my hunger or drain you of all your blood.”

I unfolded my legs and scooted back against the couch as far as I could—away from him. As I blinked, I thought I saw him lick his lips. He was a pretty vampire, but I didn’t want to be his snack.

“Don’t worry, I know how to control my hunger.”

Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure. His eyes changed slightly and flecks of red dotted his cobalt blue eyes.

“A pint, huh? And then...” I snapped my fingers. “I materialize into a vampire?”

He ignored me. “It’s a complicated process and I’m not going into the details.”

Anger rose, stinging my cheeks. “Then how do you expect me to believe anything you say? I don’t know even know why I’m here. You say I carry the vampire gene and my father is missing. I don’t know where Sam is or even if he’s dead. And that’s just the beginning of my long list of what’s happening in my world. Oh, and I’m sitting here next to a vampire worried if I’m going to be his snack.”

Webb rose from the couch. My body relaxed slightly, but my rage still simmered. He stood on the other side of the coffee table and scratched his neck. I assumed he was trying to keep his anger at bay.

“I want to get out of here. I want to go back to Mr. Jackson’s house—now,” I said.

His head jerked slightly as his nostrils flared again. His eyes slowly turned black. If he wasn’t angry before, he sure was now.

“You’ve seen evidence that vampires exist. That’s enough for you to believe something. You’re not here so that I can convince you to trust me. You’re here so that you don’t end up missing like your brother. And you need to stop being a brat and listen to what I tell you. I’ll explain things when necessary and only when necessary.” His hard tone matched his hard eyes as he glared at me.

I just pissed off a vampire. Great. I stilled as his black eyes bored into me. I was afraid if I moved he would leap on me.

He took a breath and moved around to sit on the coffee table in front of me. He pinched his bottom lip between his forefinger and thumb.

“Your father has to be a vampire in order for you to become one. The vampire blood, his blood, is essential in the crossover process. Once you reach the age of sixteen, your father starts to store his blood. Once a month he replenishes the old with the new until you and Sam make the decision on whether you will stay human or become a vampire. Your father wants you to have a say in your future, in your life. But it’s also stored for…emergencies.”

I wanted to laugh. My father hadn’t been around for fourteen years. Why would he care what Sam and I wanted? If he did, he wouldn’t have dumped us in the foster system.

“A father’s blood is like a precious and rare gem.” His voice was soft now. “It should be guarded at all times. If your dad or your dad’s blood were to fall into the hands of his enemies, they would destroy him and any of his stored blood. You would never get a chance—”

“What makes you think I want to be a vampire?”

He stopped and stared at me for a long second before he continued. “Your father’s enemies don’t want more vampires like him. Your dad is a very powerful immortal. His enemies believe that you and your brother are a threat to their plan, especially when they’re fighting for control.”

A knock on the door caused Webb to snap his head in that direction.

“Enter,” he said.

Sloan stepped in. “A word, Lieutenant?”

Webb rose from his seat. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he stepped out of the room.

I blew out all the air in my lungs. Whoa. I couldn’t believe what he just said.
My father—a powerful immortal. What does that mean?
It was as if a freight train was barreling down the tracks, and I was stuck between the rails, struggling to break free.

“Get up and walk around. Shake it off,” I muttered out loud. “I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming,” I repeated over and over.

I stood up and twisted my neck in one direction then the other. Drinking a pint of blood—was he kidding? Sure, I was drawn to the sticky liquid for some reason. But drinking it like a tall glass of milk? No way. My mind wrestled with the idea while my body screamed for it.

He said my dad had enemies. What enemies? It seemed to me that blood and enemies were a lethal combination and my stomach suddenly became ill. Were those enemies responsible for Sam being missing? Who were they? Alarms were going off in my head.

I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room to adjust my vision. A bookcase behind Webb’s desk caught my attention. A picture of two people in green fatigues stood smiling together, as a crystal blue ocean spanned the background. I focused on the man to the left of Webb. My mouth fell open. If I weren’t mistaken the man in the picture was Sam. His long black hair was tied back. His emerald green eyes peered out beneath long lashes. His smile was as endearing as Sam’s. As I grabbed the picture off the bookcase, another sat behind it. I replaced the one in my hands with the second, which had two little kids sitting on a blanket on a beach. Was that Sam and me? My pulse quickened.

I ran a hand over the picture and muttered, “Sam, where are you? Please, please be all right. I will find you.”

“That’s your father in the other picture,” Webb said.

His voice startled me.

“And this one?” I pointed to the one in my hand.

“That picture was taken when you and Sam were two years old, just before your mother died.”

My mother? I bit my bottom lip. I didn’t even want to think about her. My life during the past week was enough to process. I wasn’t ready to learn about my father, let alone, my mother.

I closed my eyes and inhaled. Webb had given me enough of a family history lesson to last a lifetime. But something told me he wasn’t finished yet.

“You should eat. It’s getting late,” Webb said.

The gray light that spilled in from the small window didn’t give me any indication of the time of day. There wasn’t a clock in this room either, but my stomach was a little queasy, which I assumed was more from nerves, but now that Webb mentioned eating, it sounded like a good idea.

“Let’s go up to the mess hall. Dinner is not until five, but we can find a snack.”

“Um, I do have more questions.”

“We have plenty of time later,” Webb replied.

As we rode the elevator up, the questions were bouncing around in my head, aching to get out, but something warned me Webb wasn’t going to give answers for all of them. I would have to search for some on my own.