Revamped (11 page)

“You don’t get it!” Hannah was now yelling. “I’m not looking for a kid. I’m trying to find my dog, Daisy. She’s not a werewolf. She’s a mix between a Maltese, Pug, Chihuahua and Poodle dog breeds. Someone named Leif stole her from my house in Angel Creek and threatened that something bad would happen to her if I didn’t come here tonight!”

Rayne’s tranquil face suddenly contorted into an angry frown. “What did that boy do this time?” she huffed, storming off toward one of the camp cabins.

From where we were standing, we could hear her yelling at someone inside. After a moment, she reappeared, dragging behind her a young man who matched Hannah’s description of Leif. In his arms was a scrawny, odd-looking creature. It was dressed in a pink sweater and while the bright pink collar around its neck had the name
Daisy
inscribed on it, the tiny being barely resembled a dog.

“
Ohmigod
, Hannah! The werewolves turned your poor dog into a monster!” Brooke exclaimed at the sight of the trembling ball of fur.

Hannah shot Brooke a confused look as she rushed toward Leif. She grabbed Daisy away from him, nuzzling her face against Daisy’s wet nose. “Oh, my baby! My poor little Daisy. Thank goodness you’re okay!”

The dog’s pink tongue hung out of its mouth, wagging from side to side. It seemed unable to properly fit into its small snout.

“That’s ‘okay’?” Brooke whispered to me.

“Leif, why did you kidnap Daisy?” I asked curiously. Leif didn’t strike me as someone malicious. Not very smart, sure, but not cruel.

“Yes, why in the name of the Earth, the Sun and the Sky would you do something like this?” Rayne asked, giving him a hard smack on the back of his head.

So much for their peaceful philosophies.

“It wasn’t my fault, Mom! This creepy foreign guy cornered me when I was out hunting for berries yesterday. This vampire dude, who called himself Viktor with a ‘k’, told me that I was chosen for a very special mission. All I had to do was go to Angel Creek, steal this little dog and tell this girl to bring her vampire friends here at 6:00 p.m. tonight.” Leif explained, pointing at Hannah and Daisy.

“Why?” Ethan asked.

“I don’t know. Viktor said it was a matter of life and death! He gave me the instructions and the address and I followed them exactly,” he grinned proudly. “It was easy to spot you because of your bright red hair.”

Hannah shot him a cold glare.

“Look, I’m sorry I took your dog. I thought I was saving her life. Or your life. Or maybe even mine,” Lief stammered nervously. The poor guy really wasn’t very bright. “I took good care of her, I promise. I think she really likes me. Look!” He extended his hand to Daisy and she began to lick it. The poor dog didn’t seem too clever either.

“What would this vampire have wanted with my dog?” Hannah asked nervously.

“Or with us?” Sophie added.

“I don’t know,” I responded truthfully. Suddenly, a terrifying thought crossed my mind. “We have to get out of here!” I yelled. “It’s a
trap
!”

It was too late. A large army of about two dozen vampires emerged from deep in the forest, surrounding us from all sides. Without any time to contemplate a defense strategy, I kicked open the weapons bag, throwing swords, guns and even stakes at the crew members.

The werewolf pack, sensing trouble, shifted from their human bodies into their ware forms. At barely ten inches in height, they had big, round eyes with glossy snouts and tiny saw-like teeth. Ranging in shades of white, gray and black, they bore more of a resemblance to adorable fairytale animals, than to terrifying mythological creatures.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding!” Hannah exclaimed, looking at the newly transformed pack of cuddly creatures trembling around us.

“Stay back!” I shouted, shielding Hannah with my body as the vampires began to attack. Seth and Sophie cowered behind a large oak tree, unsure of what to do.

I spent most of my time fighting four or five vampires at once in an attempt to protect the threesome. Ethan, on the other hand, fought alongside Brooke and Hunter. I was happy to see that at least two of the trainees were able to hold their ground in a fight.

As I combated one particularly powerful vampire, I was suddenly overpowered by a strong human scent. It belonged to neither Hannah nor Ethan. Rather, the smell emanated from the attackers on either side of me. The brief second of confusion caught me off guard, giving the large vampire a chance to deliver an immobilizing kick to my stomach.

I staggered, momentarily losing my balance and allowing my attacker a chance to descend on me. His companions grabbed my arms, pinning me firmly to the ground. They were undoubtedly human, but extremely powerful—as strong as Ethan had been the day he saved me from the arrow.

One of the attackers held a large syringe in his hand, filled to the brim with a bright red substance. The moment he stabbed the needle it onto my arm, I knew exactly what the elixir inside it was—
vampire
blood
. The blood of one vampire was poison to another. I knew with certainty that I would soon be rendered completely powerless.

“Take her,” the massive vampire ordered the humans. “This is the one the boss wants!”

“Just get them all!” another vampire yelled, grabbing hold of Hannah’s waist.

Hannah’s shrill scream resonated in my ears as I fought the dizzy spell that suddenly overcame me. I wrestled the humans with all my might, briefly succeeding in pulling one of my arms from their forceful grips. I commanded myself to fight the poison, struggling to regain my strength. Finally, I managed to pull myself to my feet, just as one of the humans stabbed yet another dose of the blood into my body. I collapsed again, fighting against the darkness that was rapidly descending on me.

Just as the three assailants began to drag me into the forest, I caught a glimpse of the familiar dark shadow that had been following me since the day I arrived in Angel Creek. It emerged from the forest, rushing toward me at the speed of light. With one powerful blow, the figure threw both humans and their vampire commander off of me. The stranger scooped me off the ground into his arms, and for the first time ever, I saw him as an ally instead of a foe.

Through my faintness I could foggily make out Sebastian’s silver eyes and the sound of his voice calling my name. “Dawn! Stay with me!” he yelled as Ethan rushed to our side.

“Protect the others,” I murmured, struggling to stay awake.

Sebastian looked over at Ethan. “Quick, give her your blood,” he ordered.

“What?” Ethan asked, looking from Sebastian to me.

“Now!” Sebastian yelled, as I shook my head “no”.

“Uhh, yes,” Ethan stammered. “Yes, of course.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw flashes of the battle. Sophie and Seth had teamed up against a wiry female vampire, while Hannah cowered behind them, clutching Daisy in her arms. The little dog barked furiously as two muscular humans came to the female vampire’s aid. Seth and Sophie dropped their weapons and began running for their lives, while Hannah stood in place, paralyzed with fear.

I tried to call out to her through my dry lips, but no sound came out.

“Dawn, you’ve been poisoned. You have to drink,” Sebastian whispered in my ear. He was still tightly holding me in his arms. I desperately wanted to get out of his clutch, to run to Hannah’s aid, but I was too weak to fight against his strong grasp.

Ethan had made a thin incision on his arm and was presenting it to me. Bright red blood dripped from the cut, its aroma sweet and tangy at the same time. I shook my head again, forcing my mouth to remain firmly shut. Hurt or not, I wasn’t about to start drinking from humans.

“Help Hannah,” I croaked, ignoring Ethan’s open wound. The two human assailants had grabbed her arms, causing her to drop Daisy.

Sebastian moved Ethan’s arm to my lips. “Drink,” he ordered.

“Guys, help!” I heard Brooke yell as Hannah’s terrifying screams filled my ears.

“Help them!” I urged, about to lose consciousness.

“Drink and we will,” Sebastian promised.

Realizing that it was the only way to aid the team, I closed my lips around Ethan’s arm, taking some of his blood into my mouth.

The taste from a live source was much different—warmer, sharper and more potent—than that of
Blood Cola
and other types of artificial blood I had grown up on.

Immediately, I felt my strength return. As soon as I had regained my focus, I pushed away Ethan’s arm. “Thank you,” I whispered, avoiding his eyes.

Convinced that I was feeling better, Sebastian carefully set me down and rushed to join the fight. Seconds later, Ethan and I caught up to him, but stopped in our tracks when we realized that almost all of the remaining attackers were piled around him, groaning in agony. We watched as he brought yet another attacker to the ground with a swift hit to the back of the neck. I had never seen anyone fight like that before. The way Sebastian moved and attacked made everything look so effortless. Realizing that they didn’t stand a chance, the few vampires that were still standing retreated back into the forest.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked, surveying the team members.

“Yes!” Hunter and Sophie responded in unison.

“No thanks to the werewolves,” Seth added. “Those things ran at the first sign of trouble. But I guess I would too if I looked like that.” He shook his head. “Werewolves my butt. More like werepuppies.”

Brooke pouted. “I broke three nails, but I showed those evil vamp jerks,” she said, then looking over at Sebastian, added, “Wherever
you
came from, we’re definitely thankful. For so many reasons.”

“Yes, where
did
you come from?” I asked suspiciously.

Sebastian avoided my gaze. “I was…I wa—”

“Uhh, guys?” Ethan interrupted, looking around the camp. “Where is Hannah?”

I surveyed the area around us. Little Daisy was hiding in the overturned weapons bag, whimpering and trembling.

Hannah was nowhere to be found.

She was gone. Taken.

CHAPTER SIX

Our relentless search for Hannah proved unsuccessful. We had finally come to terms with the fact that she was kidnapped by our attackers, but without a single clue to her whereabouts, we were at a loss on how to help her.

At nightfall, we piled into our cars and drove back to Angel Creek in silence. Sebastian had opted to run instead, and as I pulled into the cottage driveway, I noticed that he was already waiting for us on the front porch. We gathered around the dining room table, our faces grave, solemn masks. With the addition of Sebastian’s tall frame, the small space suddenly felt cramped.

“Who were those awful people?” Sophie asked, as she tenderly scratched behind Daisy’s ear. The scrawny dog had taken shelter in her arms, desperately attempting to lick her small hand as she caressed its patchy fur.

Hunter shrugged. “Beats me. Anyone have any ideas?”

“Dawn, shouldn’t you, like, know everything?” Brooke asked, glancing over at me.

“They were most likely rogue vamps,” I explained. “According to recent reports my father had received, groups of vampire rebels who oppose the Vampire Council have formed in certain areas around the world. But, aside from that information, I don’t know anything,” I said, exhaling in frustrating. “I really wish I did.”

I also wish I hadn’t been so careless and gotten hurt.

And, more than anything, I wish Sebastian and Ethan were by Hannah’s side, instead of trying to help me.

As if able to read my mind, Ethan put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Please don’t blame yourself, Dawn. This wasn’t your fault,” he said softly.

“Did anyone catch anything unusual about the attackers?” Sebastian asked, his gaze lingering on Ethan’s hand.

I closed my eyes, revisiting the fight. “It sounded like they were following orders," I recalled. “Apparently, their boss had instructed them to capture me.”

Ethan’s grip on my shoulder tensed. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. That’s why they stabbed me with the blood.” I shuddered at the memory of the poison burning through my veins. “And then you and Sebastian saved me.” I looked down at the floor, wanting to escape the recollection of helplessly lying in Sebastian’s arms, of hungrily drinking Ethan’s blood.

I shouldn’t have let myself get thrown off by the presence of the humans, I thought angrily.

The humans
, a thought dawned on me. “The humans,” I repeated, this time out loud.

“What?” Sebastian asked, perplexed.

“Did you guys notice that amongst the vamps, there were also some humans?”

“I was too busy trying not to die to sense anything,” Seth murmured.

Brooke wrinkled her forehead. “Honestly, Dawn, they all looked and felt like super strong vamps to me. And I have the cuts and bruises to prove it.”

“That’s the thing,” I said excitedly. “They
looked
and
felt
strong, but some of them weren’t vampires.”

Sebastian nodded. “You’re right. Now that I think about it, I did sense other humans.”

Sophie looked from me, to Sebastian, and then back to me again. “I don’t understand,” she said, nervously biting on her bottom lip. “Some of the assailants were not vampires, but actual humans? Like a hundred percent human?”

“Well, yes. A hundred percent human—only stronger,” I said, glancing at Ethan. “Kind of like you.” I gave him a long, probing stare. “Are you going to tell us how that’s possible?”

Ethan’s hand dropped from my shoulder. He sheepishly looked away from me.

“Well?” Sebastian urged.

“Ethan, say something,” I pleaded.

“I—” Ethan locked eyes with me. “I can’t, Dawn. I’m sorry,” he said, getting up from the table.

He stormed out of the cottage, his abrupt movement sending the chair he was sitting on tumbling backwards. It fell to the floor, striking the hardwood with a loud clash.

I rushed after him, calling his name into the humid night air. He had already crossed the driveway and was fumbling in his pockets for his car keys. I caught up to him just as he pulled open the driver’s side door.