On the Edge of Humanity (34 page)

“So, little Jo wants to play dirty.”

His voice infuriated me, especially when he spewed pet names for me. He pulled out his dagger and the memory of what he had tried to do to Ben coursed through me. Rage surfaced and adrenaline pumped into every vein. It was as if someone had injected me with a dose of speed to wake me up. Everything around me became quiet. My vision sharpened. The only thing in front of me was my target and I was focused.

I took three steps forward and he took two back.

“You don’t want to do this,” Fernando said. “You’re young and don’t know what you’re doing. I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you, then I won’t be able to ask you out on a date.”

I laughed. “Do you think I would go out with you?”

“A guy can hope, can’t he?”

I shook my head. He was still trying to pick me up and at the same time trying to kill me. Without thinking I said, “Okay, I’ll go out with you. You name the place and the time.”

He stopped moving and dropped his arms, dagger pointing toward the floor.

I attacked driving the blade into his left shoulder, just above his heart.

He dropped to the floor.

I gasped. Did I just kill him?

I had been stabbed before, so I knew the pain associated with it. Did it feel any different as a vampire? The blood rushed to my feet. I didn’t want to kill him; all I wanted to do was stop him. Dr. Vieira said that the cobalt blade would kill a vampire, but I assumed it would if driven through the heart, not the shoulder.

I bent over to examine my enemy when Fernando pulled the dagger out of his shoulder and grabbed me.

“You can’t kill me like that. It burns, but you missed my heart.” His smirk turned dark, replaced by hard eyes and a murderous expression. “Now you’re going to pay.” He jumped up and threw me against the wall.

My head hit the wall first, then my back, knocking the wind out of me. I slumped to the floor. He bent down, grabbed me by my throat and threw me again. This time I landed on a counter, sliding off the slick surface, falling behind it to the floor. I tried to stand up, but a pain crept up my spine. Did I break my back? I placed my hands on the floor, pushing myself up. As I uncurled my spine, trying to stretch it out, Fernando drove the dagger into my stomach.

I bent over, grabbed the dagger and pulled it out. A burning sensation trickled around the wound. Was this what it felt like to be stabbed as a vampire? The fall to the floor hurt more than the dagger.

“Have you had enough, Jo?” he asked.

“No, please, hit me some more.”

I’d had enough of this asshole. I stood still, waiting for him to approach. As he stomped toward me, I slid to the side, closer to the lighted room in the distance.

“Where’re you going?” he asked.

He stood two feet away from me when I lunged at him, driving the dagger into his abdomen. I held it there, twisting it, watching as his eyes grew wide, pools of black liquid looking down at me.

He blew out a breath and smiled. With his right hand he reached down, but before he could do anything, I pulled out the dagger and stabbed him again. I repeated this several times, stabbing him until he dropped to the floor.

I stood over him, deciding what I should do. It would be so easy to kill him now.

Suddenly, my father’s voice startled me. I snapped up my head, glancing around, trying to decide where he was. I ran toward the back, following the light. I stopped several feet away from a set of windowed double doors when an object flew through the air on the other side of it. Webb stepped into view, two hands wrapped around his sword, blade slanted in the air. He lunged at his opponent, plunging the sword forward. I slid to the side at an angle, peering through the glass to see who he was fighting. Then his ponytailed avenger waved his sword down to his left, turning his wrists over then up again with the tip of the sword pointing at Webb. It was as if I was watching Zorro. Each fighter was light on his feet, skills mastered as they wielded their thirty-six inches of steel at one another.

“Open it now,” my father growled.

I slid to the other glass pane, looking for my father. As I placed my hand on the door, a set of hands gripped my ankles. I peered down and Fernando had his arms stretched out holding onto my ankles for dear life as the rest of his body inched forward as if he were a snake.

I bent my right knee, pulling my ankle upward. His grip was tight. I tried again. Still he hung onto me. I tried the same thing on my left ankle. This time it came loose and I stepped on his hand.

“Let go or I’ll crush your hand,” I growled.

He pulled my right leg toward him and I fell, crashing through the doors, sliding across the tile, stopping when my head hit the marble panel of a lab bench. I raised my hand, grabbing the back of my head. As I looked up, a sword sliced down through the air toward my foot. I rolled out of the way, but Fernando dove for me and the sword caught the back of his calf. He screamed out in pain, falling on top of me, crushing my windpipe. I unleashed my vampire strength and pushed him off me. He went flying back through the double doors. My eyes widened. Did I have that much strength?

Before I could stand, a hand grabbed me by my hair and pulled me upright. I stood face to face with a red-eyed vampire. His irises were solid red and I could’ve sworn I was looking into the eyes of the devil.

Now what? He looked young, but his eyes told me otherwise. Even though I was a vampire and that meant I shouldn’t be afraid of anything or anyone, my Spidey sense told me to run. I inched backwards, watching the creepy vampire in front me.

“Jo, get out of here,” my father commanded.

I twisted my neck to the left. My father was standing in front of a glass room with his right hand clamped around a man’s neck. My gaze traveled upwards, resting on the man’s face. He had short brown hair and I recognized him from the photo Webb had showed us in the war room. The man my father had pinned against the glass was my Uncle Patrick.

I turned on my heel and ran to my father. I stopped and glimpsed beyond the two men into the glass room, gasping for air as my gaze fell on Sam. His lifeless body was lying in front of me with a sheath of glass separating us. My throat tightened, tears clouding my vision as anger rose, snaking its way through me.

He looked worse than he did in the picture. His arms were hanging off the sides of the metal table. His cheeks were hollow, his skin pale. I bent over, the room spinning, the light around me fading. I placed my hands on my knees, taking deep breaths, trying not to pass out.

“Jo, get up,” my father commanded. “Tripp, get over here,
now
!”

With my hands on my knees, I turned my head, glancing at the red-eyed vampire who stalked toward me. I should run, but I stood frozen in place. Some vampire I was, standing in the middle of an otherworldly battle with swords, daggers, vampires and now the devil. Panic crept up my spine. Shouldn’t I be brave, fighting the bastards that did this to my brother? Nope, instead, I was bent over, willing myself not to pass out.

As the red-eyed vamp approached, sword in hand, Tripp came running up behind him.

“Edmund, over here,” Tripp called out.

Edmund spun around, pointing his sword at Tripp.

“Patrick, open the door. I’m not going to ask you again,” my father said.

“That will be the last thing I do, Steven. Do you think I’m going to let your son live? After everything you’ve done to me since we were kids? Go ahead. Kill me,” Patrick barked.

A seed of hatred propelled me upright at the sound of my Uncle Patrick’s voice.

“Just break the damn glass,” I shouted. “Do it now. You have to save Sam.”

“Look. Your daughter is desperate. And for what? You forced her to change for this, to save Sam’s life. You don’t really think that’s going to work, do you?”

“What’s he talking about?” I asked.

“Tell her, Steven. Tell her what she did was all for nothing. Tell her that her immortality was just to satisfy you, so you could make up for all those lost years after you left the twins with your psycho sister-in-law.”

How did he know all this? Did my father really know where I was all these years?

“Don’t listen to him, Jo. He’s just trying to get into your head.”

“You still didn’t answer me,” I shouted. “What’s Patrick talking about? I want to know.”

“We don’t have time for a family discussion,” my father said.

I looked at Patrick whose face had turned red, his eyes closed as he hung in midair while my father choked him.

I ran up to my father. “Get Sam out of there.”

I inspected the door to the glass room. A keypad illuminated next to it with a dark, square panel just above it.

“You need the combination and his hand print,” my father said.

“Just break the glass.”

“I can’t. It’s six inches thick. It would take more than my vampire strength to crack it.”

I scanned the room for something to throw at the glass, but I couldn’t find anything in the chaos. Webb fought with his ponytailed opponent in one corner of the room. Tripp and Edmund were tangled together. Edmund had Tripp in a headlock not far from where I stood. In the opposite corner to my left, Olivia danced around with another vampire. Karate kicks and punches whipped through the air.

This whole scene was insane. Everyone was fighting and no one was saving Sam. Behind Olivia in the far corner of the room, I spied an electrical box. Would shutting off the power unlock the door?

I ran over to the corner, dodging Olivia’s dance moves, and opened the panel. I flipped off the main switch and the entire room went dark. Machines beeped. The humming of other instruments stopped, including the sound of the swords clanging. Even the vampires stopped in their tracks, their heavy breathing the only sound in the room. Then a small glow of lights turned on. I imagined the emergency power had kicked in.

I sprinted back to the glass room. The door was ajar and the panel blinked frantically. I wrapped my hands around the edge of the door and pulled, grunting in the process. It was like trying to move a glacier. I managed to move it several inches before someone pushed me from behind, knocking me to the floor. My body became wedged in the doorway.

I raised my head to look at my attacker. Edmund had a sword pointing at me as he leapt over me, making his way into the glass room. I tried to sit up, but the tip of the sword was pointed at my chest. I froze.

“You don’t want to move, little one,” he said.

No shit! I wasn’t planning on moving just yet. I looked around, examining my options. The good news—I was in Sam’s room. The bad news—I had to get away from this red-eyed devil and get Sam off the table, but I didn’t how.

Then as if God granted me a wish, my father appeared at my feet. He grabbed the edge of the six-inch glass door and tore it from its hinges. The door fell to the floor, but it didn’t shatter, it just cracked. He towered over me, his eyes a sterling silver and his fangs smeared with blood.

I shook my head. Was this my father? It was the first time I had seen his fangs, but it was also weird to see his eyes silver. I had thought all the vampires had black eyes when they changed colors. I made a mental note to ask about that later. Right now, we needed to get Sam out of here.

“Let her go, Edmund. She is of no use to you,” my father said. He placed his left hand on his waist, moving it around.

I imagined he was searching for his sword, which was now in the hands of this Edmund dude, primed and ready to slit my jugular.

Death by my father’s sword. What a way to die.

“Steven, my friend. We go back a long way. You know that I wouldn’t dream of bringing your daughter into this mess. You know deep down she doesn’t belong in our world.” He cocked his head to one side and peered down at me. “My, my, you already turned her. For what? To save your son?” He pointed to Sam. “He’s gone. He’s not coming back.”

Why did everyone keep saying that? I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it. I became a vampire for one sole reason and something within me told me this jerk was lying. Nevertheless, I certainly wasn’t going to disrupt the conversation, not with a sword at my throat.

My father stared at the man, not taking his eyes off him. “How dare you lie to me? You know damn well his heart is still beating. Do you think I’m an idiot? I expected more from you, Edmund.”

I shifted my gaze slowly between them, trying to figure out how this was going to end. It seemed we were at a standstill, at least until Fernando came stalking up with a dagger aimed at my father’s back.

“Watch out!” I shouted.

My father bent down and pulled me toward him. In an instant, he turned, grabbed Fernando and threw him across the room. A loud bang was followed by a thud. Then my father jumped over me, and lunged at Edmund, both vamps falling to the floor. The sword Edmund was holding flew into the air, tumbling out of control toward me. I rolled out of the direct line of the falling sword and kept rolling until a large foot stopped me and pulled me to an upright position. I buried my face into his chest, before he released me from his grip.

I looked up and into the eyes of my estranged Uncle Patrick. Anger, hate and disgust surfaced, each emotion fighting to rise above the other. He tilted his head to one side, then studied me like I was one of his lab rats. I closed my eyes and inhaled, trying to unleash my young vampire senses. Then I exhaled sharply and opened my eyes.

“You’re still human,” I said as I stood in front of him, studying the wannabe vampire.

“Not for long,” he replied with an evil grin on his face.

My vision blurred for a second as I rushed him, throwing my body head first into Patrick. My anger won out over the hate and disgust that coursed through me. I wanted to tear him to pieces. My fangs descended and without thinking, I bit into his wrist, my canines breaking through his skin. His heart beat loudly, his pulse throbbing between my lips as I clamped down on his vein. A spurt of blood filled my mouth then slithered down my throat. It tasted bitter, almost acid-like. There was nothing good about the taste of his blood.

He screamed and threw back his head.

Arms wrapped around my stomach. Someone was trying to pull me away. I growled then kicked. It was my turn to drain my prey dry; I wasn’t letting go.

“Jo, release him.” Webb pulled at me again. “His blood is poison. He wanted you to bite him. Now release your grip.”

I couldn’t stop. I hated this man, my kin, more than anything in this world. He was evil for what he had done to Sam. His blood coated my stomach and my body started to warm. The world tilted and a rush of pain clenched my insides. What was happening to me? Suddenly, my fangs retreated and my mouth slid off his wrist. Webb, who still had his arms around me, tripped backwards as I fell on top of him. I rolled off and white foam dripped down from my lips onto the black tile floor. What the heck was that? I looked at Webb with my eyebrows pinched together.

“I don’t know what it is,” Webb said.

I staggered to my feet. Whatever was in Patrick’s blood wasn’t agreeing with me. I grabbed hold of a chair and sat down. The room began spinning. My lips curled and I smiled at Webb.

“Oh no,” he said.

“What?” I asked.

“He drugged you,” Webb said as he ran his hands through his hair.

“I’m fine. How’re you?” I laughed as I sat there.

Tripp walked up. “What’s wrong with her?”