A Trail of Echoes (A Shade of Vampire #18)(39)

We headed up to the control room, where Caleb needed to concentrate. When we got closer to The Shade, we spied five gray hunter ships. They seemed to be at the same distance as before, no closer, no further.

What do they want?

Caleb sped up the boat, not paying too much attention to the ships, except the odd glance to check they had not started moving. And then we passed through the boundary. We were back in The Shade. Back home.

I looked toward the Port, a warm feeling rushing through me, as it did whenever I returned to this island. Although I couldn’t have enjoyed our honeymoon more, I loved our island more than anywhere else in the world.

A strong gust of wind blew against me, bringing with it a scent that made my stomach clench. Human blood. Ugh. What I wouldn’t give to take a gulp out of Becky…

Caleb eyed me, already knowing what I was going through. He squeezed my knee. “You’ll be fine. I promise.” Then, clearing his throat, he changed the subject. “So when do you want to go see your parents and show them what I’ve done to you?”

“Oh, yeah…” I’d forgotten about that. I was not entirely sure how my parents might react. Of course, they would be shocked at first, but I wasn’t sure if they would be angry, or perhaps understanding of why I had made this choice. I hoped that it would be the latter.

“We might as well go see them first thing. I don’t see the point in delaying it.”

“Wait a minute,” Caleb said, his head craning to our right.

He pointed to what looked like the roof of a submarine poking above the waves. It was floating in the distance within the boundary, and resting on top were two figures. I moved out onto the deck, my vampire vision coming in handy.

Yes. It was a man and a woman, lying together on the roof of the submarine. Though I couldn’t see their faces, because their heads weren’t turned in my direction.

“Let’s go see who they are,” I said, suddenly anxious.

I wondered if perhaps they were injured. Why would they just be lying out on a submarine like that?

We moved closer, until finally, I was at the right angle to see their faces.

I had no idea who the girl was—I didn’t recognize her as a resident of The Shade, though she looked pale enough to be a vampire—but when my eyes settled on the young man, I was so shocked that I screamed.

“Ben!”

Chapter 26: Ben

I was woken by someone screaming my name. I sat bolt upright, my eyes fixed on my sister, standing in a boat and staring at me.

I shot to my feet, gaping at her. I wondered for a moment whether I was dreaming.

“Rose,” I choked. “You’re… a vampire?”

Leaping from her boat, she landed on the submarine’s roof. She launched into my arms, the force of her jump almost sending me staggering back into the water.

I hugged her tight as she squeezed me back even tighter. She kissed my cheek furiously, practically shaking against me.

“Ben! Where have you been? What happened to you? How come you’re back?” Question after question flowed from her mouth before I could come up with a single answer.

I was still in too much shock to see her as a vampire. My brain was too flooded with my own questions and doubts, I was struggling to make room for hers.

“You’re a vampire,” I repeated, staring at her, dumbstruck. “Mom or Dad turned you?”

She shook her head. “Caleb did. But what—?”

“Are you able to drink animal blood?” I asked, gripping her shoulders.

“Yes,” she said impatiently. “The reason I turned was because I wanted to find out if I would have the same problem as you. And I don’t, Ben. I can stomach nonhuman blood.”

My lips parted, her words sinking in.

Then what is wrong with me?

Caleb stepped out onto the deck of the boat Rose had just leapt from.

He smiled at me. “Hello, Benjamin.”

“Hello, brother-in-law,” I said.

Rose’s eyes sparkled. “How come you know?”

“I’ve already spoken to Mom and Dad. They filled me in on everything that’s happened since I left. Congratulations.” I pulled my sister in for another hug and kissed her cool forehead. “I hate that I missed your wedding.”

“I hate it too,” Rose said, looking hurt. “You’ve no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

Rose’s gaze traveled to River, who was sitting up on the blankets and watching us.

“Who are you?” Rose asked.

“This is River,” I said, reaching a hand down to River and pulling her up to stand next to me. “She’s my friend.” I was about to add that she was also a half-blood, but that would just invite another onslaught of questions, and I still had a huge backlog to start answering.

And so the four of us gathered on Rose and Caleb’s boat and sat around on the deck. I started my story from the very beginning and told it through to the end for my sister and Caleb. They displayed similar reactions to my parents, asking the same questions and looking concerned when River and I showed them our tattoos.

It was strange to have been away from my sister for so long. It had been the longest separation in our life. We’d both had such different experiences, and grown in different ways apart from each other.

I understood why she had wanted to turn into a vampire. And I also understood why my parents hadn’t wanted to turn her. After what had happened to me, I wouldn’t have wanted her undergoing the risk either. But my sister wasn’t one to shy away from danger or risk. Although it unnerved me that something was so different about me, it didn’t bother me as much as it should have, because we had a plan now. I was going to become a half-blood.