The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Complete Collection(63)

Christina flipped her ponytail off her shoulder. “I’ll look forward to that. Now, let’s move.”

After a moment of discussion about which tree would be best to use because of the direction of the rising sun, Drew and Christina dragged Trevor to one of the trees close to the edge of the road, an exposed and solitary tree that would experience maximum sunlight when the sun finally rose.

Thank god this road was somewhat unused this time of year. That would have been all we needed for a car to come speeding along while I lay in the road bloody and shot, while my friends chained a guy to a tree. Then I'd have to explain how that guy was my father. Yeah, that would go over well.

I hadn't even noticed that the goon who had guarded me back at Trevor's house apparently had disappeared with the second car. Trevor's promise of his cohorts avenging his death was likely true. I realized more was at stake here than simply seeking revenge for my mother's death. The enormity of the situation weighed heavily on me.

Trevor struggled against them the whole way and more chains were added over the top to secure him to the tree. The UV shotgun shell, the UV bullet in his arm, and the flames that had scorched him had left him weak enough the silver chains were likely to hold him easily, if I knew anything of my vampire history, now that I knew it was all true.

For me, exhaustion and severe pain were setting in. I found myself wondering about Gavin, Alice, and Oscar, but I didn’t have the energy to get up and go see how they were.

I fell back onto the cement and stared at the sky while I listened to Trevor scream at Drew and Christina. The opening in the tree line above the road was quite wide, and the sun was rising. As the rays of sunlight drew closer, I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to watch Trevor tortured. I felt the sun hit me before it hit him. The warmth soothed my cold skin; it felt good. I tried to mentally prepared myself for what I knew was about to happen.

Minutes later, I heard screams from Trevor while he begged to be released. Those screams turned to painful wails, wretched, ear-piercing screams that could only have ended in death. Even though I didn’t think I could bring myself to look, some part of me knew I had to.

I turned my head and opened my eyes. I saw Drew and Christina stood far from the writhing, flaming body that Trevor had become. Through the flames, I could see his dark hair had been singed off and his skin was melted like wax in some spots and black and charred in others.

Ugh. I turned my head back the other way. His suffering went on for only a few more seconds before it was finally over and the world around us was mostly silent again. My mother's death had been avenged. Trevor had finally gotten what he had wanted so badly: to see a sunrise again.

Drew moved by my side, and he spoke softly. “He’s gone Chloe. It’s time to go. I have to help Gavin now.”

And then he was gone from my side.

“Crap!” I tried to stand again. I managed to get up and sort of zombie-walked to the Jeep, leaving a trail of bloodspots behind me.

I was coherent enough to hope Gavin was all right. Distantly, I could hear Drew tell Christina she was going to have to take Gavin to the hospital in the Mustang and then take it home. I watched them load Gavin into the car while he yelled at them to be careful, calling Drew all sorts of terrible names.

“Shut up!” Christina yelled. “We’re trying to help you, dumbass.”

Alice still sat behind the door of the Jeep. I bent down and grabbed her hand. “Alice, we have to go. Can you get Oscar?”

She looked up and stared me in the eyes. “Is he dead?”

She had known Trevor best. She was his housekeeper, but she had also been his lover. In a strange sort of way, she was also his partner. Of any of us, she had the right to be emotional about his death. He was all she had known for so long.

“Yes. He’s dead.” I glanced at the tree where his body had been. Ashes were all that was left of the once proud Trevor.

Alice cried. I had expected emotion, but she bawled uncontrollably. I didn't know what to do to comfort her, but I knew we needed to get moving. “Come on, Alice. There’ll be time for this later. Right now, we have to get out of here and get to the hospital. Gavin’s hurt.”

She wouldn’t budge. She acted as though she hadn't even heard me.

Damn it. We really needed to go.

“Drew!” I called. I used the Jeep for support and limped around it. “Drew!”

He heaved the door shut on the Mustang and glanced at me. After we watched Christina reverse the Mustang, then slam into drive, peel out and speed away, Drew hurried over to us.

“We need to get Oscar,” I said, my breath coming in short pants. Fatigue had kicked in now that the adrenaline had worn off. All I wanted was to lay down and go to sleep.

“Get in the Jeep, Chloe. I got this.”

I did what he said and crawled into the backseat of the Jeep. I closed my eyes for just one second and woke up in the hospital.



Groaning, I forced my eyes to open through the fog of medication. I could feel thick bandaging all around my leg. I lifted my head a little, pulled the thin hospital blanket over, and saw my calf was, indeed, covered in a thick bandage. Oddly enough, I kind of wanted to see it. I officially had a battle wound.

I let my head fall back on the pillow and closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, I turned my head to the side and found Drew asleep in the chair next to my bed.