A Shade of Doubt (A Shade of Vampire #12)(27)

It was the third human casualty within the space of a few days, after we’d gone years without a single violent death on the island.

The girl still lay on the floor of our apartment in a pool of her own blood. My first priority had to be getting my son away from the other girls still standing outside the door, shellshocked at what they’d just witnessed. I hurled myself at him, dragging him back toward his room. He gave no resistance. Blood still dripped from his lips and stained his clothes. His face was ashen as he stared at the body on the floor, his breathing harsh and uneven.

Ben’s expression reminded me too much of the first time I’d killed.

The rush. The pleasure. The horror.

Pushing Ben back into his room, I locked the door before racing back into the hallway. I glared at the girls.

“Leave now,” I said hoarsely.

All the blood had drained from their faces, and they lost no time in scampering away. Looking down once again at the corpse, I cursed beneath my breath. We knew Yasmine’s parents personally. How will we ever tell them?

As I wrapped the corpse up inside the blanket it rested on, I heard a gasp behind me. I looked up to see Sofia, hand clasped over her mouth.

“No,” she breathed, kneeling down next to me and staring at Yasmine’s corpse. “No.”

Brushing Sofia’s hands away from the rug, I proceeded to wrap Yasmine up. I carried her outside and laid her down outside on the veranda.

“Where is Ben?” Sofia choked.

I nodded my head toward the direction of his bedroom and she hurried away.

I cast my eyes around the bloodstained room. We’d been worried about werewolves attacking our humans. Now we had to concern ourselves first and foremost with protecting them from our own son.

I stared at the medical equipment Sofia had brought in and dropped on the floor as soon as she’d seen the corpse. Then my eyes fell on the jug of blood we’d tried to feed Ben, still perched on the kitchen table.

In a fit of rage and frustration, I grabbed the jug and smashed it against the counter. Blood soaked the surface, dripping down to mix with Yasmine’s on the floor.

Chapter 18: Rose

When Annora still hadn’t returned by the afternoon, Caleb went looking for her again. He returned a few hours later, unsuccessful.

Truth be told, I was expecting him to look more worried than he did as he swung back up onto my branch. While he certainly looked concerned, I wondered if he also was secretly hoping something had happened to her. It would relieve him of the responsibility he seemed so bent on having for her. It would be an easy way out.

“I wonder if she perhaps saw us across the lake,” he murmured.

Oh, I so hope that she did.

“Perhaps,” I said. “I have a feeling she’ll return though.”

He sat down on the bunk next to me. Reaching for my hand, he planted a kiss on the back of it. My cheeks grew warm. I cleared my throat, leaning back against the truck of a tree and trying to make myself more comfortable next to him. I ought to make the most of this time I had alone with Caleb. I didn’t know when Annora would return and then how long it would be before we had time without her.

“So, Caleb Achilles… ” I threw him a sideways glance. “It seems you have a type.”

He raised a brow at me, a small smile curving his lips.

“Tall, long black hair…” I continued, unable to hold back a grin.

He rolled his eyes, but indulged me. “Perhaps I do,” he said. “But I’d need more of a track record for you to conclude that.”

“Was Annora your first?”

He nodded.

“And… what number am I?”

“I’m not sure I feel comfortable placing a number on you, princess.” He twined his fingers with mine. “But if you’re asking if there was anyone between Annora and you, the answer is no.”

He reached for me suddenly, pulling me back against his chest. He ran his fingers through my hair, pulling my head backward until the base of my head touched his collarbone. He was so strong, it felt like he could snap my neck in two. His rough cheek brushed against my face and settled near my neck.

“What about you, Rose Novak? Do you have a type?”

I felt heat rise in my cheeks again.

The truth was, I’d never really had a crush before Caleb. Sure, I’d met boys I’d thought were cute. But never the heart-stopping, all-consuming passion I felt for Caleb.

“I… I don’t know.”

He loosened his grip, his eyes fixing on me intensely. His expression was suddenly serious as he studied every flicker of emotion that crossed my face.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re my first.”

His eyes softened, and he looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the world. As though those three words I’d just spoken had made me seem fragile, vulnerable.

“Why do you look so surprised?” I asked, trying to break up his seriousness with a grin.

He ran a hand through his hair. His lips parted, then closed again. I didn’t understand what had rendered him so speechless.

“Are all the young men in The Shade blind?” he said finally, staring at me incredulously.

I laughed. “No. But I’m not the only girl there. I guess it also doesn’t help being the daughter of the most intimidating vampire on the planet.”