A Shade of Vampire 14: A Dawn of Strength (4 page)

I
took
Caleb to visit Corrine and Ibrahim in the Sanctuary first thing the next morning. To my relief, not only had the two of them come to, they were walking around their home as usual.

It was Corrine who answered the front door. As soon as she laid eyes on me, her face lit up. She flung her arms around me and pulled me in for a tight embrace.

“Rose, my darling. We have so much to catch up on. You must tell me everything.”

And so we sat in her living room for the next few hours. I recounted all the details of my story to her, and I was stunned as she told me her tale. I was furious at how the white witches had treated their own kind, and I felt incredibly guilty that they’d gone through all that suffering just because they’d been trying to find me. Once we were caught up on each other’s stories, I reached for Caleb’s hand. Corrine had warmed up to him considerably during the course of our conversation.

Standing up, I unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders so Corrine could see the damage that had been done to him by the South American thugs.

Her eyes widened as she moved closer to the vampire and looked over the wounds. “These bullets are lodged deep,” she murmured. She shot a look at me. “You might not want to be here to watch this, Rose.”

“I’m staying,” I said firmly.

“Okay.” Corrine sighed and led us to her spell room. She cleared the long wooden table in the corner and placed a plastic covering over it. Grabbing a cushion from one of the chairs, she placed it at the edge of the table as a pillow. She gestured for Caleb to lie down. He lifted himself up and stretched out. I walked to the edge of the table and stood by his head.

“We’ll work on the chest area first, then the shoulders and back,” the witch said. She grabbed a bottle of bright blue liquid and began dabbing it over Caleb’s wounds with a cotton swab.

Corrine looked down seriously at Caleb. “Now, this could be quite painful. Do you want me to give you some kind of painkiller to make it more bearable?”

“I’ll be all right,” Caleb muttered.

I looked at the sharp metal tools Corrine had started pulling out of a drawer and wiping down with the blue solution. She must have caught my expression, because she smirked. “Don’t look so scared, Rose. This procedure looks more primitive than I intend it to be. I’ll mix up a potion that will help the bullets loosen from the flesh and slide out easily. These tools are mostly to help lift them out.” She walked over to me and gripped my hand. “I’ll make this as quick for your man as I possibly can.”

I walked with the witch over to the sink and watched as she began pulling bottles of colorful ingredients off the shelves and mixing them up in a small brown cauldron. She brought the mixture to a boil quickly, then muttered a few words to cool it. We walked with the cauldron back over to Caleb. Setting it down next to her tools, she disappeared from sight for a moment before reappearing with a long, white sheet. I helped her spread it out over Caleb.

As she set to work, I mostly couldn’t see what she was doing because she was deliberately using the sheet as a shield. But it pained me every time Caleb’s jaw clenched.

I stood behind his head and pressed my palms against his forehead, gazing down into his warm brown eyes.

Corrine glanced up at me with an amused expression. “Judging by the look on your face, anyone would think that I was working on you rather than Caleb. Don’t you trust me, honey?”

“I do trust you, Corrine,” I said. “I just…”

I just hate watching Caleb suffer more than he has already.

Although I didn’t say the words out loud, Caleb smiled, his eyes lighting up. He reached up a hand and brushed it against my cheek.

“Hey,” he said. “I’m fine.”

I caught his hand and kept hold of it until Corrine laid her tools down and looked up at us again.

“Okay, that’s the chest area done,” she said. “Now we’ll just wait a few minutes for Caleb’s natural healing capabilities to kick in and close the open cuts I’ve just made…”

After two minutes, she lifted the sheet off him. Caleb propped himself up and we both stared down at his chest. Gone were the dark shadows, and in their place were light scars where his skin had just closed over. My eyes fell on a pile of bloody bullets gathered up in a ball of tissue next to Corrine. I shuddered. “Thank God those are out of you.”

“Now let’s finish the rest,” the witch said.

Caleb rolled over on his stomach as Corrine repeated the same procedure on his back and shoulders. Time seemed to pass quicker this time. Perhaps it was Corrine finding her stride and feeling more confident with the procedure, but it felt like less than ten minutes before she lifted the sheet again and showed me the bullets she’d removed.

“There,” Corrine said, smiling. “You’re a new man, Caleb.”

I handed Caleb his shirt as he sat up. After looking himself over, he began buttoning it up.

“Thank you, Corrine,” he said.

Corrine reached up and ruffled his hair. “Don’t mention it.” She threw me a wink.

Even though her hands were still bloody, I threw my arms around her and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

“Off you go now,” she said after returning my kiss. “Ibrahim and I have some catching up to do. We were unconscious for God knows how long.”

As we walked toward the exit of the witch’s home, we passed Ibrahim in the corridor, still wearing his navy pajamas.

“Bye, Ibrahim,” I said, giving him a hug. “We’re heading out, but Corrine wants you. She’s in the spell room.”

“Try to stay out of trouble this time, Rose,” he said, rolling his eyes and closing the door behind us.

I looped my arm through Caleb’s as we stepped out into the courtyard and made our way toward the woods. “I was going to suggest we stop at my parents’ place for breakfast. What do you think?”

“Sounds good to me.”

To speed up our journey there, Caleb ended up carrying me again. I’d grown so used to feeling the bumps beneath his skin even when he was wearing a shirt, it was odd to feel his shoulders and chest so smooth.

A delicious smell of fresh pancakes drifted through the kitchen window as we arrived up on the veranda. I guessed my mother had been expecting me to show up for breakfast. But I was surprised by the state she was in as she opened the front door for us. She looked… exhausted. She had dark rings beneath her eyes, the tip of her nose was red and her eyelids were puffy.

“Mom?” I asked, taken aback. I reached my arms around her neck. “What’s wrong?”

She hugged me tight before stepping aside and allowing Caleb and me entrance. She still didn’t answer even as she led us into the kitchen. My eyes fell on my father, who was sitting at the table. He also looked exhausted.

“You two look awful,” I said, looking from one to the other. “What’s the matter?”

“Take a seat,” my father said. His voice sounded even deeper than usual.

Caleb and I drew up a seat opposite him as my mom placed a tray in the center of the table containing a jug of blood, a flask of orange juice, and four glasses. She reached for the counter and placed cutlery and a plate of berry pancakes in front of me.

“What?” I asked, my patience wearing thin.

My mother sat next to my father as they both exchanged glances.

“Eat something first,” my mom said, looking at me with concern.

Although the last thing I felt like doing was eating, I obeyed her and quickly finished the plate of pancakes. Caleb had downed a couple of glasses of blood by the time I’d finished.

“Now?” I asked, my eyes wide with question.

My mother heaved a sigh as my father cleared his throat. “Your mother would have preferred to not tell you this yet, but I thought it best we stop hiding things… We received news about your brother last night.”

I leapt up from my seat. “And?”

“He was caught on camera attacking a human,” my father replied heavily. “It’s been broadcast everywhere, all over mainstream media.”

I felt like throwing up. “What? Where is he?”

“The footage was taken in Chile. But that was a while ago. We don’t know where he is now.”

I gripped the edge of the table so hard my knuckles whitened.

“There’s also something else we should have told you before,” he said. “But please sit down, Rose.” Caleb guided me back down into my chair before my father continued. “Before he left, there was an accident… he killed Yasmine. That was the catalyst, I believe, for his decision to leave.”

“Yasmine,” I gasped, clasping a hand over my mouth.

It was so much to take in at once, my head was reeling. My father reached across the table and squeezed my hand. It took a few moments before I could compose myself enough to speak again. “What… What’s going to happen to him? He can’t take animal blood… what choice does he even have except to kill?”

“Either he’ll decide he wants to turn back into a human and make his way to The Shade, or he’ll have to find another way to overcome his nature. But he left us a note requesting that we don’t follow him.” My father looked at me pointedly. “So don’t even think about trying to escape this place again to look for him.”

I still couldn’t believe this was my brother they were talking about. It seemed like a different person. I respected my parents’ request that I not watch the footage because quite frankly, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle it. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it would be entirely another.

I sat with my parents for the next hour, attempting to recover from the shock and keep my breakfast in my stomach.

When there were no more questions I could think to ask, my parents stood up.

“You two can stay here if you want,” my father said, “but your mother and I need to pay a visit to Mona and Kiev now.”

I didn’t feel like staying in the apartment. It reminded me too much of my brother and felt so empty without him here. So Caleb and I left through the front door along with my parents. When we reached the forest floor, we parted ways.

Caleb and I walked along in silence for a while as I tried to find a way to drag my mind away from my brother. It would be easy to allow myself to worry and stress about him all day, but I realized I had to adopt the attitude my father had. I had to believe in Ben’s ability to survive and in his strength of will to make the right decision even in the darkest hour.

The problem was, I didn’t feel I even knew this new Ben. I hadn’t been there to see him after he’d first turned.

I just had to pray that he’d find himself again.

Caleb squeezed my hand. “For what it’s worth,” he said, “I noticed the strength in your brother from the little time I spent with him. I agree with your father. I believe he’ll find his way.”

“But what if he doesn’t?” I asked, my voice constricted as I spoke my worst fear before I could stop myself.

Caleb stopped walking with me and held my head in his hands. “Don’t fear what-ifs, Rose. You’ll drive yourself insane.”

I took a deep breath as he let go of me and we continued walking. He was right, of course.

Determined to make a more concerted effort to change the subject, I said, “Let’s go to the sunny beach. It’s the weekend and there will be people there I’d like to introduce you to.”

I was right in my guess that the beach would be packed. It usually was on Saturday mornings. Humans liked to soak up the sun before it got too hot. Vampires often went along too and sat beneath wide umbrellas.

As the forest ground gave way to sand, I cast my eyes up and down the shore. Sticking to the shade created by the trees that lined the beach so the sun wouldn’t touch Caleb, we headed toward the crowds. The first people we came across were Abby and Erik. They both sat opposite each other on deck chairs, covered by large umbrellas. They appeared to be deep in conversation, but Abby leapt up as soon as she saw me.

“Hey, Rose! How are you?”

I swallowed hard, trying to make my smile appear genuine. “I’m fine.” I tugged gently on Caleb’s arm. “I’m just introducing Caleb to people who haven’t met him yet. This is Abby and Erik, Caleb.”

“Hi, Caleb,” she said.

“Hi,” Erik said, turning around to face us.

“Nice to meet you,” Caleb replied.

We left Abby and Erik to their conversation and continued moving. My eyes fell on a sight that brought a full grin to my face. Griffin and Becky, on a sheltered deck chair about ten feet away. She was sitting on top of him, her legs spread either side of his waist as they made out. I was cautious about interrupting them, but Griffin noticed us before we could back away.

“Hey, Rose.” He smiled sheepishly, wiping shiny pink lip gloss from his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

Becky hurried toward me and hugged me. “I missed you!” she squealed. “We all have.”

“I missed you guys, too,” I chuckled.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

I groaned internally. At some point, I knew I would have to repeat the whole story to everyone but I wasn’t in the mood to do it now.

“Honestly, Becky, it’s such a long story. We should all get together one of these nights around a bonfire and I’ll tell you everything in one go.”

She looked disappointed, but nodded. She glanced up at Caleb.

“This is Caleb… my boyfriend.”

“Oh, hi, Caleb.”

Caleb was already acquainted with Griffin so, after exchanging a few more words with the couple, we continued moving.

Next, we reached a larger cluster of deck chairs. Among the familiar faces were Anna sitting with baby Kiev, Ariana, Jason, Kyle, Claudia and Ashley. As we approached closer and I got a better look at Anna’s older children, Ariana and Jason, I gasped. They’d turned into vampires too.

They all turned round to face us as we walked up to them. They hugged me one by one, and I officially introduced Caleb. I stopped in front of Ariana and Jason, staring at them.

“You turned! How come?”

“It was because of our blood,” Ariana said. “My parents were scared we might have the same type of blood as yours and be at risk of being targeted by the black witches.”

“Wow… How are you finding it?”

Jason and Ariana exchanged glances.