The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Complete Collection(37)

“Go right ahead.” He waved for me to lead the way and moved to follow me.

I turned and glared at him. “Alone.”

A momentary glimpse of hesitation flashed across his pale face, but he nodded. “As you wish. I’ll wait here.”

As much as I hated to turn my back to him, I turned around and continued down the hall. When I reached the door to Luke’s room, I found him wide awake and apparently waiting for me.

“Oh, Chloe, I'm so glad you’re here.”

I ran to his bedside.

“Was he in here?” I whispered, even though I knew he must have been because he probably got my number out of Luke’s phone. I grasped his hand as best I could with both our casts.

Luke nodded. “Yes, he was here. I saw him, but I said nothing because I can’t defend myself here. I’m so sorry, Chloe.”

“No, Luke. Don’t be sorry. If you had tried anything, he may have killed you. I left Drew a note to send protection for you, so they should be along soon.” I bowed my head. “I have to leave.”

“I know.” He looked fearful and sad at the same time. I was sure he was flashing on my mother and losing her. Now he was losing me. I felt horrible.

“I’m going to come back.” I hugged him and whispered into his ear. “I’m going to come back as soon as he’s dead.”

“I hope so, child. Just please, please… be careful.”

“I will.” I pulled away. “I also wanted to say thank you. Thank you for saving me and taking me in.”

“There is absolutely no need to thank me for that. You are Felicia’s daughter, my granddaughter.”

I needed to go, before Drew showed up, but I didn’t want to leave.

“I need to go,” I told Luke.

He nodded his understanding. “Oh, one more thing.”

He beckoned me forward and whispered, “I’m going to keep putting money into your account every month. Be careful. Don't waste it. You may need it when you want to come home. And make sure to keep your card hidden.”

I nodded and stood again. Clutching the shoulder strap of my bag, I yanked it up onto my shoulder.

“I really have to get going.” My voice was starting to choke and tears were welling up. I did not want to give that monster who called himself my father any satisfaction by letting him see me cry.

“I love you, Chloe,” Luke called out.

I stopped short in the doorway. No one had said that to me since before my mother died.

“I love you too… Grandpa,” I choked out, and then let the door slam behind me.

I was so upset while I marched back out to the waiting room. I was sad, mad, angry… you name it. Trevor stood when he saw me stalking past him.

“Chloe, wait.”

“I’m not waiting for you. You're a vampire. Don’t you have like… super speed or something? Just keep up.”

“Shhh,” he tried to quiet me, appearing by my side in an instant.

“See,” I told him. “Super speed.”

“Chloe, you cannot go around saying things like that.”

I didn’t stop to look into his eyes, but I knew he was frustrated with me already. Well, what did he expect? I was a teenager, and I was going to say anything I wanted. I did not intend to make his transition into fatherhood easy, after all.

Once outside, standing underneath the overhang in front of the main doors, I shivered against the cold and stopped.

“Look,” I told him, “I don’t know what you want from me. I’m coming with you because you want me for some reason. Do not think for a moment that I’m going to enjoy being around you.”

His pale face almost glowed in the moonlight. “In time, you will adjust to it, and we will get to know each other. You are my daughter, my blood… and you’re important to me.”

“You killed my mother!” I spat at him.

A couple walking by snapped their heads in our direction, and Trevor shushed me again.

“I did not kill your mother. I wasn’t even there.”

I shook my head in disgust. “Don’t lie! I heard Eli say you issued the order that she needed to die for taking me away from you.”

He neither denied it, nor did he acknowledge my accusation. I figured his silence was probably because he knew it was true. He just strode off into the parking lot. He stopped when we got to a brand new black Mustang. He pulled out his keys, and I heard the locks disengage.

“Get in,” he told me.

I opened the door, threw my bag into the backseat and slid into the passenger seat. Trevor slid behind the wheel and started the engine.

“Nice ride,” I told him.

“You have no idea,” he replied as he pulled out onto road that led to the freeway.

So off we drove, into the night and away from my family, away from my best friend, and away from the guy who had been everything to me since my mother’s death.

Off we drove into the next chapter of my life.





THE VAMPIRE HUNTER'S DAUGHTER





PART V





Living with Vampires





The headlights glared off the dark, wet highway ahead of us. Trevor’s Mustang flew across the pavement at breakneck speed. I sat in the passenger seat, scared out of my wits and stared out the window into the blackness, just to avoid looking at him.