Karma Bites (25 page)

“Thank you.”

“I’m not sure I deserve your thanks and your mom will probably kill me when we get back.”

“No probably about it.”

His face gets tense. “Again, you must listen to everything I say. I don’t want you near the fighting. You’re going to hide. I say run, you run. If something happens to me, no even if it looks like I’m losing, run. Get home and follow the plan with your mother at first light.”

I nod, everything inside me screaming at me to go back inside with Mom. “Do you know where he is?”

“We’ll find him. Now we hunt.”

***

Who would have thought hunting an evil, grandpa vampire consisted of driving around town with the windows down so Dad could sniff the air until he caught a scent? ’Cause that’s exactly what we did. Dad said he would probably be somewhere remote, and if he knew Isaac well, it would be a nice place. Still, we’d been at it about an hour now and he hasn’t smelled anything.

“If he’s been after me… why didn’t you know it if you’ve checked?” I have to ask.

“I don’t stay long and he hasn’t been here when I was. Believe me, I would have known. He must have known though… and waited, biding his time.”

“Can I ask you something else?” I’m not looking at him, because it’s still a little shocking that my vampire dad is sitting next to me, much less that I can ask him questions.

“Of course.”

“You said you were human once, but then you said Isaac is your dad. I don’t get that.”

He doesn’t turn to look at me, but something about his features in the dark tells me he doesn’t really want to talk about this. “The same way you might one day become like me. I was born like you, transitioned at eighteen.”

Oh.
That makes sense. I’m not sure why I didn’t realize it before. I guess that explained his smooth skin and good looks. Still, he looked younger than mom, but older than eighteen though.

“Vampire genes are a funny thing,” he says answering my thoughts. “When you’re turned, like the boy probably was, you stop aging. Of course your mind continues to grow, but you’re stuck in the same body.”

Wow… So Gabe is stuck like this forever?

“But for transition, your body goes through a rapid aging, for a few days. I’m not quite sure how it works, I guess it’s just your body adjusting, but you gain years. Depending on how fast you transition, you could gain anywhere from a year to ten or fifteen.”

“Wow…” I’m still trying to wrap my mind around all this. How it can really be true. What’s Mom look like to him now, I find myself wondering. She’s so tired looking. So worn out from seventeen years of being afraid.

“How old are you?”

“One hundred and fifty.”

One hundred and fifty? Holy crap I have an old dad!

“Why does your father—your sire-- care about me? And how do you know it’s him?

“Because I know Isaac, little one. I always knew if he ever found out about you, he would want you. I’m sure he’s been watching to see if you transition. He’ll want you. He likes owning things…people.”

I’m still confused.

“You have to understand him. He uses people to get what he wants. He likes to to possess. I did his bidding for years. So much that I’m not proud of.”

I gulp. What has my dad done? Stolen? Killed?

“Yes. Which I’m sure is why he made Gabe. Another pawn. It’s why he’ll want you too. He can be very…persuasive and people usually don’t enjoy the methods he uses to get what he wants.”

Wow… Grandpa sounds like a stellar guy. How lucky am I? Then, another thought comes to mind. I’m almost scared to ask. “And if not? If I don’t change, I mean.”

“Abby.”

“No! I’ve been kept in the dark all my life. I want to know.”

For the first time since we’ve started talking, Dad looks at me. “Then he’ll have no use for you. Or he’ll force you to change, himself.”

Force me? Dear old Grandpa will kill me or turn me into a vampire? Totally don’t want to keep thinking about his. That protective, little bubble Mom kept me in is sounding better and better. “I..” I have no idea what I want to say. How does one react to meeting their vampire dad for the first time, finding out you could turn into one yourself, oh and Grandpa Dracula wants to suck my blood too. My life is awesome. It just keeps getting better and better.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise you, you’ll be okay.”

His words push away some of the fear inside me, but somehow I know he’s just protecting me from being afraid. He can’t promise that. “Crazy relatives” has a whole new meaning when there are fangs and the words owning, possession, and a vampire change involved.

Dad… Geez that’s a weird word to think, but my dad chuckles.

“Not really finding the humor here.”

He glances over at me. “You’re funny. It’s so sad the things I don’t know about you.”

Part of me wants to hug him. To tell him he can know anything he wants about me because I’ve needed him for so long, but the other part remembers someone else who said those same words to me… you’re funny.

How could I not have believed Caleb? How could I have turned my back on him like everyone else in his life?

“I should have come back sooner,” Dad burst through my thoughts. “You’re too close to turning eighteen. I should have known… warned you. If I had, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

This time it’s my turn to chuckle. Does he remember my mom? I’m pretty sure her head would have exploded if he came to me any earlier and tried to explain this. The only reason it didn’t now is because she knows there’s a current danger.

“You shouldn’t think about your mother that way.”

“You shouldn’t read people’s thoughts!” I snap. “It’s rude.” Holy crap. How cool am I? I totally just yelled at my vampire dad. There’s a whole new level of danger to talking back when a parent has fangs.

“You’re taking this too lightly, little one. I know you have to be scared… worried…confused…”

“Umm, ya think?” I realize I’m being rude again. “Sorry. Yeah, it’s a lot. I’m okay though.”
Caleb, Caleb, Caleb.
I focus on him. On saving him. That’s what’s important here. I can worry about me, about how Mom might hate me and I might soon become one of the things that goes bump in the night, later. Right now, all that matters is Caleb.

***

The night is coming closer and closer to an end. Dad and I haven’t talked much more. Kind of hard to think of something to say to him, considering the circumstances. After asking, “how ‘bout them Yankees’ I decided to keep quiet.

Now, I’m getting more and more nervous. We’re not going to find them. The sun will come up and Dad will like… burst into flames or something if we don’t find cover. That thought makes my heart jump. I don’t want him hurt. I just found him.

“We’re going to have to call it a night, little one,” he says as though he can read my mind. Oh yeah. He can. “We can work on that… once things settle down. I can help you learn to block your thoughts.”

“Really?” I turn to look at him. I’m not only excited to learn the blocking, but that means he’s going to stay, right? At least for a little while.

“For as long as I’m welcome,” he answers my thoughts. I love his answer, but the whole mind-reading-thing is still annoying.

“Good… and thanks. I would like to learn that.”

Another few minutes of silence and then he speaks again. “I’m going to have to bring you home. There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”

“No!” I feel like I’m losing my breath. “We can’t give up. We have to find Caleb.”

Dad sighs. “Not tonight, little one. The sun is coming up. I need indoors. Isaac isn’t going anywhere, believe me. He’s got a plan and he won’t leave until he sees it through.”

I shiver. Gramps sounds scary. Leave it to me to find out Mom isn’t crazy, and I not only have a vampire dad and ‘best friend’ but a murderous, lunatic for a grandpa.

I shake those thoughts from my head. “You can’t bring me home. Mom will freak. She won’t let me to go with you tomorrow and I’m telling you, I’m finding Caleb, even if I have to do it myself. I’m not walking away from him again.” Yes. I might not have found them earlier, but I’m finding those claws Caleb told me about and I plan to use them to save him. I owe him that much.

Another sigh. “I’m giving your mother even more reason to hate me. And a reason to hate myself if things go badly.”

The sadness in his voice breaks my heart. Almost want to tell him I’ll go home, but I can’t do it. “I’m sorry.”

***

“
You have a house in my town?”
Actually, scratch that. House isn’t even the right word. He has a freaking mansion in my town. I think that’s a vampire thing. They all seem to have tons of money in movies and books and obviously that transfers over to real life.

“I told you, I’ve kept an eye on you. I don’t stay here often, but where you are, I know I will always want to be. Of course I have a place here.”

It’s so crazy to hear him say something like that. So many times I’ve wanted more family. Mom is great and I love her more than anything, but it’s lonely. Her parents weren’t nice people and stopped talking to her when she had me. And Dad was never around and suddenly he is and it feels incredible.

“Thanks…” I look toward the ground, but then realize I need to watch where I’m going if I’m going to follow him inside.

Dad presses a few buttons on a keypad before a rumbling sound comes from the windows. I jump, my heart somewhere in my throat when he says, “They’re special blinds to keep out the sun.”

Naturally. Duh. Why didn’t I think of that?

He hands me a cell phone. “Call your mom.”

Joy! Just want I couldn’t wait to do. She’s going to freak out and I get that. I feel bad, but not bad enough to go home.

I dial and Mom answers on the first ring. “Abigail?”

“How?” I start to ask her how she knew it was me, but realize she didn’t. She just hoped. Guilt pumps through me. “It’s me, Mom. I’m sorry. I’m okay.”

I hold the phone away from my ear as she starts to yell. And yell. And yell some more. It’s the crying that really stinks though. When she’s finally quiet enough for me to speak, I put the phone back to my ear. “I know what I did was wrong, but I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t come home. I have to do this… It’s the right thing to do and… Dad will take care of me. All Caleb wanted is the same thing you do, me to be safe. I have to do the same thing for him.” Tears start to pool in my eyes. “I’ll be home tonight when we find him.”

“Abby!” she yells.

“I have to go, Mom… I love you. I’ll see you soon.” And I hang up and cry. I hate hurting her this way. Dad pulls me into his arms and begs me to go back to her. Tells me he’ll take care of Caleb, but I tell him, no, no, no over and over until I all the tears are gone. I have to do this.

When Dad lets go, we separate awkwardly. I curl up on his couch and think about Mom… Caleb… even Gabe. I watch Dad as he paces the room, sits on the touch on the other side of the room, and then paces again.

“Please… let me take you home.” He begs one last time, but I shake my head.

“I’ll go alone.”

“I can make sure you don’t.”

A shiver of fear slides down my spine, but I ignore it. “I would never forgive you.” The words almost stick in my throat. I hate saying them to him, but I need to take care of Caleb more.