Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(117)

Only then did Della notice that the man’s eyes glowed, and he’d let his canines come out to play. He obviously enjoyed scaring people. And he was succeeding.

“Let her go,” Della told Stone.

Marla let out another cry.

“It’s gonna be okay,” she told her sister, but didn’t take her eyes off Stone, all the while fighting to keep her canines in and her eyes from brightening.

“Of course it is. Big sister is gonna save the day.” Stone laughed, the sound heavy. Evil. Della’s heart thumped against her breast bone.

“I love spunk,” Stone said.

“But you only get one of them. I get the other?” said the were holding the gun on her parents.

Her father shot up.

“Down!” The were put the gun to her mother’s head. “Or I’ll blow her head all over the house.”

Her father dropped down and Della saw the raw torture in his eyes.

He’d seen what had happened to his sister. Now it was happening to his own family.

Her mind raced. Her gaze shot around quickly and she decided that getting the gun was the first order of business.

But then she saw the were’s finger on the trigger. Was she fast enough to rip it out of his hands before …

*

The impact of the bullet knocked Chase flat on his back. And every bit of air in his lungs gushed out.

Had the vest stopped the bullet? Probably, but he still couldn’t breathe.

“That’s what you get for being a puss where girls are concerned.” The girl darted for the fence, thinking he was dead, or close.

Now pissed, he felt more alive. He rolled over and aimed his gun. She’d just pulled up on the fence. The dart got her right in the ass.

She stopped, her legs dangled, then she slid back. She remained upright, leaning on her good butt cheek, swaying as if fighting the drug.

One hand on his chest, Chase jackknifed up, yanked the gun out of her hand. “I’m not a puss!”

She fell back, unconscious.

Bumps and clanks sounded from the house. Still fighting for air, he took off inside.

Burnett swung around; his eyes glowed and his fangs were all the way out. Blood dripped from his arm and Chase saw a bloody knife beside the unconscious guy with a tranquilizer dart in his throat.

Two other guys lay out cold on the wood floor.

“You okay?” Burnett asked, the brightness in his eyes fading.

“You’re not?” Chase said.

“Just a cut.”

“I’ll check upstairs.” Chase took the stairs three at a time. His nose told him no one was there. But damn, he wanted Stone.

He checked every room.

When he got back down the three guys inside were wearing FRU cuffs, and Burnett was outside restraining the other three.

“No Stone,” Chase snapped when he walked out.

“Help me get these guys inside,” Burnett ordered. “We’ve got another problem.”

“What now?”

“Della left the school forty minutes ago. I called to warn Shawn that she might show up. He’s not answering. I got agents coming to pick these guys up.”

A cold fear ran through Chase’s body. “That’s where Stone’s at.”

Chase didn’t wait to hear Burnett tell him he couldn’t fly. Hopefully there were enough clouds to keep him out of view. Less than two minutes later, Burnett was flying right beside him.

*

Della breathed air through her teeth, focusing on not losing control and letting her vamp take over. Face it, her family was traumatized enough, they didn’t need more.

Behind her, she heard Stone inhale, deeply, as if he were just now getting her scent. “Look at me!”

Della turned around. He squinted at Della’s forehead, and his eyes widened. He might know she was vampire, Della thought, but he didn’t have a clue she was Reborn. She planned on making sure he knew it the first chance she got.

“My, my,” Stone said. “It runs in the family. Now, can you tell me where your uncle is? ’Cause if you can I might be so inclined to let one or two of you live.”

Her mom let out a sob. “I told you his brother died years ago.”

Della heard her father lose a little air from his lungs. He knew, Della thought. Or at least a part of him knew that Feng had never died.

Stone glanced at the two weres. “Why am I just now finding this out?” He motioned to Della, obviously meaning her being vampire. “Weren’t you watching the house? I know you guys can’t smell worth a shit, but can’t you read a pattern?”

“Joey and the other guys were doing that,” the were holding the gun said.

“No,” Stone snapped. “What they were doing was causing trouble. And I told you to watch them.”

Della considered now would be the time to pounce, grab the gun. But Stone moved his hand up to Marla’s neck.

“I’ve got to get some new help,” Stone said, looking at Della. Then he focused back on her parents. “Wait? Why aren’t you showing your true colors?”

A grin spread his mouth. “They don’t know, do they?”

Della glared. Fury filled her chest.

“Well, don’t you think it’s time they found out?” He shoved Marla into a chair and grabbed Della by her hair, turning her so her parents and Marla could see her.