Love Sucks! (11 page)

C
live Ashe stared at me through the window. He hadn't aged much since I had last seen him. His short, almost white blond hair was just slightly thin at the temples, his teeth were perfectly straight, his blue eyes were so vivid they practically twinkled, and even though he was smiling at me, my blood ran cold.

I hadn't seen this man in almost eight years. And until the whole you-might-be-a-venomous-Serpentine thing came up last year, I had barely thought about him. What thoughts I had had since then hadn't been that complimentary.

During my angry-teen phase, I used to imagine all the awful things I would say to him if I ever saw him again.
I'd have pretend conversations in my head (okay, out loud), and I would tell him off in the best way a thirteen-year-old girl knew how.

I can honestly say that the things running through my head right now put that thirteen-year-old to shame and definitely earned me the sailor nickname.

“Ariel Jane, I know this is probably weird.”

“Go away,” I said, walking to the sink. I grabbed the dishrag and began to clean up my key-lime mess.

“You're just so grown up. You look just like your mother. I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you.”

“Sorry would've been great a few years ago. Now it's just sad,” I replied coolly as I wiped up the green. Okay, I scrubbed one section of the floor. There was tons of yogurt all over the place, but I seemed to only be able to concentrate on one floorboard.

“AJ, listen. The hospital called me. I know about the accident. I know that you don't have anyone to help take care of you and your sisters. I'm here to help. I'm sorry. It was crappy what I did. But I'm here now. Let me make it up to you.”

“Go to hell.”

I turned my back to him, unwilling to let him in the house. If I let him in my kitchen, then I was letting him
back into my life. And he was not welcome in my life again. Ever.

Not just because he abandoned us. That was bad, but not necessarily unforgivable. But my gut said that he was involved with that whole Mr. Charles disaster last year. That he had sent that man after me and a dichampyr to stalk me and threaten the people I love most. For all I know, my father was the man responsible for turning Noah into a dichampyr in the first place.

He was not allowed in my house. Or in my life.

I finally stopped cleaning the one section of the floor and moved on to the rest of the mess. Little green blobs were dotted in random patterns on the barstools, the bar, the fridge, and my shoes. As I was wiping away the last of the goop, the kitchen door opened.

“Oh, hello dearie. Let me put my bag down and I'll finish cleaning this right up for ye.”

I jumped at the sound of Aunt D's voice. I looked over her shoulder to see if Clive was still out there. Nothing. Relief flooded my bloodstream. “That's okay, Aunt D. I'm finished now.” I threw the yogurt cup in the trash and walked to the sink to rinse out the rag. “Was there anyone in the driveway when you came home?”

“No. Should there have been?”

“No. Just curious. Thought maybe Bridget or Malia would drop by before school.”

“Are ye okay?” Aunt D asked. “Ye seem a little peaked. I can whip ye up some hemo-eggs if you need a little extra iron.”

I smiled. Ever since Aunt D had been introduced to hemoshakes, she'd been creating all sorts of new vampire-friendly recipes. Some were good. The hemo-eggs? Not so much.

“I'm just tired. You know, long night and all. Are you going to take the kids to the hospital later?” I had to stay focused. I couldn't let the sudden reappearance of daddy-do-wrong shake me. I wouldn't let him get to me.

“Aye. After I kip a wink or two. Ye going to the hospital now?”

“Yes, ma'am. Are they all . . .” I hesitated for a second, “okay?”

“So far, so good. The bairn is strong. She'll be out of intensive care soon. Rick is doing better. He woke up and spoke to Ryan for a few minutes this morning.”

“And Mom?”

Aunt D patted my cheek. “She's hangin' in. Go see her; ye'll feel better.”

 

Dr. Douglas was in Mom's room when I arrived. His brow was furrowed as he checked out her chart.

“Is it bad?” I asked.

He started at my question but recovered quickly. “Hello, AJ,” he said with a smile. “I'll be honest—it's not great. We can't seem to give her enough blood, and I have no idea why.”

I took a deep breath and summoned up enough courage to look at her. She was pale—very pale. And the bruising on her arms and face made her look even more so.

She seemed so small and frail in the bed. I had to fight the tears as I picked up her wrist and felt her thready pulse with my fingers.

I blinked away the tears that threatened. I had to be strong. Not just for Momma, but for everyone in the family. Especially since Daddy Dearest was back in the picture. Or at least trying to be back in the picture.

“What can we do?” I asked.

“Pray,” he said. “I'm sorry, AJ. We've done all we can. We just have to hope her body will start accepting the blood soon.”

Dr. Douglas left the room. Not exactly what I was hoping to hear. Not even close, actually.

“I'm sorry you're having to deal with this, Ariel.”

I didn't have to look in the doorway to see who'd spoken those words.

“I told you to go away,” I said, refusing to look at him.

“I can't. You need me. And you may not like it, but I'm here to stay, so you'd better get used to it.”

A chill traveled over my body as I looked into his clear blue eyes. I bet to anyone else he would be considered handsome and charming. But to me he was cold, calculating, and manipulative.

I pulled my cell phone out of my jeans and dialed Tave. “Auntie Tave, I have a problem. Can you come to Mom's room now? It's important.”

I clicked my phone shut and looked up at the doorway—only to discover my father was gone.

Vanished. Just like that.

But he was still around. I could feel him.

Auntie Tave rushed in like an elfin tornado. “What's the matter? Is Liz okay?”

“No change so far. But Tave, she and the baby could be in real danger, and I'm not talking about the Bborim. Dad is back. He came by the house this morning and then was here just a few minutes ago. He says the hospital called him, but I think that's BS. I think he's been here for
a while. I think Mr. Charles was telling the truth when he said my dad sent him after me. I'm scared that he's here to hurt Mom and the baby.”

Octavia's face paled. “This isn't good. What did he say?”

“He basically said he knows he screwed up and he's here to make things right. That he knows we don't have anyone to take care of us and he wants to help.”

“Okay, you're right to be suspicious, AJ. He's here for something. Or someone. He's not to be trusted. We need to have a family powwow. We can't leave your mom or the baby alone for even a second. Someone has to be with them at all times.”

“Auntie Tave, there's something else. We found one of the runes last night. The rune is trying to communicate with me and tell me where the next one is. If things go well, we'll have the second one today. We think there are three in all, but we can't let Dad know about them. I think that's why he's really here.”

My phone rang. It was Lex.

“Duffer's good. He completely lost us. No scent, no trail, nothing. He's a better magician than we gave him credit for.”

“Where are you now?” I asked.

“Back at the house. We thought maybe he'd show up, but so far, nothing.”

“I need you to tell Aunt D to bring the kids up as soon as possible.”

“Everything all right, sailor?”

“No. I need you here, too. And bring the rune.”

O
ctavia made sure someone watched over Mom and the baby while we went to a private conference room for a meeting.

The whole family was there except for Ryan. Nobody had seen him since this morning, and he wasn't answering his phone or his 911 texts.

We all sat at a large oval conference table, with Octavia acting as family CEO. The twins were still wearing their pink plaid PJ pants and cheer camp shirts.

Oz had his nose buried in his Nintendo DS, while Rayden was looking over his shoulder, trying to be a backseat gamer. Aunt D had her knitting, but her face did not have its usual happy and relaxed expression.

I sat between Lex and Robbie. Lex reached over, taking my hand in his. The gesture warmed my belly and eased the worry and fear that had been weighing on my heart.

I was both mentally and physically exhausted.

“We've got a situation,” Octavia started. “And everyone in this room needs to be made aware of how serious it is.” Auntie Tave looked over at the twins, sadness clear on her face. “Girls, your father is back. And he's saying he wants to be involved with you since your mom and Rick are both out of commission right now.”

Their eyes went wide.

“I don't even remember what he looks like,” Ana said. “And I don't care, either.”

Ainsley couldn't seem to sit still. She fidgeted in her chair, twisting her hands. I tried to reassure her with a smile, but she didn't meet my eyes.

“I know this is hard,” Tave said. “But you two have got to stay away from him. You cannot allow him in the house. At all. Is that clear?”

“He's not a dichampyr or a Bborim,” I said. “He was born vampire, so why does he need to be invited in?”

“When Liz and Rick married, I cast a protection spell on the house. Evil must be invited in, in order to enter
the house physically. Obviously, I havna been able to keep them out mentally, but I'm working on that. 'Tis very important to keep everyone out of the house except for the people in this room. And, of course, Ryan. Where is that lad?”

“Right here,” Ryan answered as he opened the door. “Sorry, my phone died. As soon as I recharged I got your messages and rushed over.” He ruffled Oz's hair as he took the empty chair next to him. “Anyone care to fill me in?”

Octavia did a quick recap.

“If this is a family matter, why are they here?” Ryan asked, pointing at Lex and Robbie. “We have no idea if they're on our side or not. What if we've already invited the evil into our house?”

“That's enough, Ryan Fraser,” Aunt D said. “Get yerself in check, lad. I understand yer concern, but we're a family. And we do this as a family.”

“What if history repeats itself, Aunt D? What if these guys are somehow manipulating AJ? How do we know they're not working with the Serpentines? How do we know one of them isn't the Bborim?”

“Because they don't smell like maple syrup. And because when the Bborim tried to kidnap me yesterday, Lex and Robbie were there to save me,” I said. “I wouldn't
be here right now if it hadn't been for them.”

I felt Lex tense at the mention of the demon, but only because I was holding his hand. There was no other outward indication that Ryan's comment bothered him.

“You were attacked?” Ryan asked, genuinely surprised.

I released Lex's hand and leaned forward. “I tried to call and warn you, but you wouldn't answer the phone. We were attacked trying to leave the church yesterday. Ryan, after everything we've been through, after last year's mess, do you really believe I would do anything to hurt my family? Our family?” I sighed. “Do you really believe I would do anything to hurt you purposefully?”

For the first time since the Bborim showed up in our lives, Ryan looked at me. I mean,
really
looked at me. His eyes softened and his face relaxed, and for a brief moment I felt him.

And I longed for him.

It was unsettling how quickly those buried feelings resurfaced.

“I don't want to believe it, AJ. But if we don't learn from our history, we'll repeat it.”

“Ryan, ye're repeatin' it now. It wasn't a trust that split our clans, it was the lack of. If ye divide us, ye weaken us,
and they win. That's all they want is a weak spot. One small blemish to prey on. And ye're givin' it to 'em, love.”

Ryan's brows drew together as he processed Aunt D's statement. The idea that he might be the one who could cause history to repeat was a hard pill for Ryan to swallow.

When all was said and done, we'd worked out a bodyguard schedule for everyone. Lex and Robbie took the first shift. Tave had arranged with Dr. Douglas to move Mom and Rick into the same room because of the special circumstances.

Rick had regained consciousness that afternoon and was no longer listed in critical condition. His vitals were looking exceptionally good for his condition, but we knew that was probably due in large part to a little special juice Aunt D snuck him.

Unfortunately for Mom, no amount of magic, in juice or woo-woo form, seemed to help. Every few hours they would run a CBC, and her hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were still low. (We vamps know what a good H&H level is. It's what we live for, so to speak.) The good news was that her levels seemed to be holding steady. The bad news was that they weren't high enough to get her out of the semiconscious state she kept drifting
in and out of. She needed to start rebuilding her blood, stat. The transfusions were keeping her alive, but they weren't healing her.

Dr. Douglas met with Octavia and me privately to break the news. “I've been doing an extensive amount of research and I've determined the only thing that will save her is pure Serpentine blood.”

“I'm part Serpentine—would that help?”

“We've been giving her part-Serpentine blood—we've even been giving her some of Lex's and Robbie's blood, since trainer blood tends to be a fast healant. The human in their blood was hurting her more than helping her. We can't explain it, but for whatever reason she has no vampire healing properties left. Right now, it seems all the vampire blood is disappearing from her system, so she's more human than vampire, and it's killing her.”

“You guys have full Serpentine blood available to you, right?” I asked.

Octavia sighed. “Yes and no. It's rare to have it. Even more rare than AB negative is for humans. As you can imagine, the pure-blooded Serpentines aren't always the most open to giving their blood to save the impure.”

“What are our options?”

Dr. Douglas scratched his five-o'clock shadow and
sighed. “We've ordered three units of Serpentine blood from the nearest vampire blood bank. It will be here this afternoon. Three units will buy us some time, but it won't be enough. She's going to need more—fast.”

 

The heaviness that had been weighing on my heart just thickened. I'd been saying I would do anything to protect my family—did that include bargaining with the devil?

Could I ask my father to save my mother? Did I have a choice?

No. I didn't. But he did. He could say no. He could and probably would refuse. And where would that leave me?

Well, it would leave me motherless, that's where. As far as I was concerned, that wasn't an option.

Maybe Dr. Douglas was wrong. Maybe the three units would be enough to heal Mom. I hoped so, because I couldn't imagine depending on my father for anything—let alone help saving his half-breed ex-wife.

Lex was stationed with the parentals this shift, and Robbie was with Baby F. I opened the door to find Lex sitting in a chair between the beds, flipping the rune over and over, tracing the etched symbol. He looked lost in thought, so it startled me when he spoke without taking his eyes off the stone.

“Hello, sailor. Was wondering if I'd get to see you before you took off.”

“You sure are concentrating awful hard on our little friend there. What's going on?” I asked, walking over to Mom. I leaned over the bed and kissed her cheek. She stirred, but didn't open her eyes. “Has she woken up at all?”

“Yeah, she's flitted in and out, but she's really weak.”

“Can you read her thoughts?”

“I can, but she's so doped up, they don't make much sense. Really foggy stuff. Now, Rick is pretty good company when he's awake.”

I smiled and looked back at Momma. She seemed so small and frail. And weak. I couldn't stand to see her like this.

“Any sign of my father?” I asked.

“Haven't seen him, but Robbie says he's here. Says he's felt Clive a couple of times while he's been watching the babe. He hasn't heard anything specific, but he feels him. At first he thought it was you, but he realized quickly that it was your dad. You two have a similar brain imprint.”

The thought that I shared anything other than history and bad blood with my father made my stomach bubble. “You haven't felt him?”

“No. Robbie's the brain, I'm the muscle, remember?”

“You're fishing for a compliment,” I teased.

“Maybe,” he said, laughing. “I miss being in your head.”

“I thought you liked a challenge.”

“I thought I did, too. And speaking of a challenge—” He tossed me the rune.

As soon as I caught it, the sickly sweet smell of the Bborim burned my nose.

“What?” Lex asked when I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

“Can't you smell it?”

“No.”

The rune warmed me like a sauna as I held it. I tried to ignore the gut-roiling smell and just concentrated on the stone. I opened up my mind like Robbie had been teaching me and sent out feelers into the world.

“Talk to me,” I whispered.

The smell just got stronger. “The Bborim is in the hospital,” I said. “I smell it. It's making me sick.”

“Let me talk to Robbie, see what he says.” Lex did his vampire mind-trick thing with Robbie. “He says no. It's not in the building.”

“Then why do I smell it? It's here. It's trying to get into my head. Trying to see if it can learn where the next
rune is. I need to find Ryan. We need to do this together, like we had planned.”

“Let me call someone to stay with your parents and I'll come with you.”

“No, Lex. I need you to protect my parents. Besides, if I expect Ryan to trust me, then I have to trust him. I'm going to give him this rune, and we're going to find the next one together.”