A Bond of Blood (A Shade of Vampire #9)(13)

I approached the front door and pressed my ear against it. Hearing nothing, I knocked.

It opened after a couple of minutes and Kyle appeared in the doorway. His face was pale and unshaven, his dark hair unbrushed. Even though only a few days had passed, he was already looking thinner. He had dark circles beneath his eyes and I could have sworn that I noticed a few grey hairs that had never been there before. He forced a smile on seeing me. “Rose,” he said. “Come in.”

I nodded and stepped inside, removing my shoes at the door. I followed him through their cozy townhouse, along the corridor and through to the spacious kitchen and dining area. My eyes settled on the kitchen table where Ariana and Jason sat, twirling their spoons in bowls of cereal.

My heart ached at how dejected they both looked. They too looked like they hadn’t eaten or slept properly for days.

Ariana’s eyes welled with tears as she saw me. She stood up from the table and walked over to me, throwing herself in my arms. She began to cry.

I brushed her hair with my hand, holding her tightly, though I was unsure what words of comfort I could give her since I myself was riddled with doubts right now.

The more she cried, the harder she squeezed me. Kyle stood staring at his daughter. There was nothing that he could say that would make her feel better. Jason’s face was ashen as he glanced back at me.

I was afraid to say anything at all. It felt like they were already suffering so much that anything I said might make them feel worse. So I kept quiet and continued to allow Ariana to hug me.

It was Kyle who broke the silence. “Rose, can I talk to you upstairs?”

“Of course,” I said.

“Guys,” he said, looking at his two children, “at least try to finish your breakfast while I’m gone.”

Ariana slunk back over to the table and sat back down next to her brother. I felt their eyes follow us as we left the room.

I followed Kyle upstairs. We entered his and Anna’s bedroom, where he closed the door behind us. I followed him out onto the balcony, and we both stood holding onto the banister looking out at the star-speckled sky.

“I’m so sorry.” Breaking down, I sank to the floor, my head in my hands. “If Ben and I hadn’t escaped, none of this would have happened.”

Kyle stared down at me, frowning. “I suspected that you were blaming yourself for this,” he said, his voice hoarse. “But you mustn’t, Rose. Anna wouldn’t want you to, and neither do I. If we each thought about all the possible consequences of our actions, we’d never do anything in life. Sometimes things happen that we could never predict.”

“I’m sorry all the same,” I said.

He walked over to me and held out a hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. Even though I still felt a weight on my chest, hearing this from Kyle, Anna’s husband, made it a little easier to bear.

“Nobody can blame you for acting your age. For wanting a taste of life outside what your parents have chalked out for you. And certainly, nobody can blame you for not suspecting that Caleb was a fraud. Hell, he even fooled your father.”

I gulped, nodding. Again pain tore through my chest at mention of the vampire’s name.

“Yes,” I murmured. “I suppose I couldn’t have suspected that.”

Chapter 13: Rose

When our parents still didn’t return the following day, Eli and Corrine dispatched a group of half a dozen witches to check both Stellan and Caleb’s islands. Other than Corrine and Adelle, they were some of the most powerful witches we had left on the island. Many of them were teachers, so substitutes had to be found among the human population. Abby and Adelle were left managing the school along with some of the humans. It was important that we maintained a sense of normalcy for the children as much as we could.

Ben and I were there in the courtyard outside the Sanctuary as Corrine called the meeting with the witches selected.

“Remember,” she said, looking at each of them sternly, “we have no idea what awaits you on these islands. And the fact that my husband seems to have been overpowered doesn’t bode well. He is the strongest among all of us. So it is vital that all of you work together and coordinate. And remember, you are not to do anything—just report back to us what you see. We can’t afford to lose you too. Do you understand?”

Although the witches looked nervous, they looked resolutely at Corrine and nodded. “Understood.”

“Please return as soon as you can,” I begged.

“I’ll expect you all back here within four hours.” Corrine turned to face the tallest witch. “You remember the location of these islands, Patricia? You were there alongside Derek and Sofia when they first stormed both islands searching for Ben and Rose?”

“Yes, Corrine,” Patricia replied. “I recall.”

“Good.” Corrine took one last look at them before saying, “Well, be gone.”

They all brushed shoulders and vanished from the spot faster than I could blink.

That left Corrine, Eli, Ben and myself standing alone in the courtyard. I shivered, imagining what they might meet at their destination, and prayed that they would return when Corrine had ordered them to.

If all goes to plan, just four hours and we will know what has happened.

The prospect of finding out what had happened was both relieving and terrifying. Something in my gut told me that they would bring back bad news.