Unspoken: Shadow Falls: After Dark (43 page)

A cold fear ran through Chase’s body. “That’s where Stone’s at.”

Chase didn’t wait to hear Burnett tell him he couldn’t fly. Hopefully there were enough clouds to keep him out of view. Less than two minutes later, Burnett was flying right beside him.

*   *   *

Della breathed air through her teeth, focusing on not losing control and letting her vamp take over. Face it, her family was traumatized enough, they didn’t need more.

Behind her, she heard Stone inhale, deeply, as if he were just now getting her scent. “Look at me!”

Della turned around. He squinted at Della’s forehead, and his eyes widened. He might know she was vampire, Della thought, but he didn’t have a clue she was Reborn. She planned on making sure he knew it the first chance she got.

“My, my,” Stone said. “It runs in the family. Now, can you tell me where your uncle is? ’Cause if you can I might be so inclined to let one or two of you live.”

Her mom let out a sob. “I told you his brother died years ago.”

Della heard her father lose a little air from his lungs. He knew, Della thought. Or at least a part of him knew that Feng had never died.

Stone glanced at the two weres. “Why am I just now finding this out?” He motioned to Della, obviously meaning her being vampire. “Weren’t you watching the house? I know you guys can’t smell worth a shit, but can’t you read a pattern?”

“Joey and the other guys were doing that,” the were holding the gun said.

“No,” Stone snapped. “What they were doing was causing trouble. And I told you to watch them.”

Della considered now would be the time to pounce, grab the gun. But Stone moved his hand up to Marla’s neck.

“I’ve got to get some new help,” Stone said, looking at Della. Then he focused back on her parents. “Wait? Why aren’t you showing your true colors?”

A grin spread his mouth. “They don’t know, do they?”

Della glared. Fury filled her chest.

“Well, don’t you think it’s time they found out?” He shoved Marla into a chair and grabbed Della by her hair, turning her so her parents and Marla could see her.

“Make your eyes pretty for them!”

Chapter Forty-nine

Pain shot up the back of Della’s neck. Stone pulled her hair harder. Della could feel her hair being ripped out of her scalp.

She studied the were with the gun; he still had it pointing at her mom.

Could she move fast enough?

“Come on, show ’em!” he yelled in her ear.

Tears filled her eyes. Fury filled her chest and she couldn’t stop it. Her eyes grew hot. Her canines lowered and she heard her mom gasp.

Stone laughed.

“Stop hurting her,” her father shot up.

Della saw the were start to pull the trigger. She reached back, grabbed Stone by the neck, and threw him at the guy with the weapon.

The gun exploded. The were fell, but popped back up, gun still in his hand. Della bolted over the sofa, over her parents, caught both Stone and the were by the necks, and flew them to the other side of the room, slamming their bodies against the brick wall.

Still hovering midair, she heard the front door bang open. Thinking she might have more rogues to fight, she looked over her shoulder. Chase stormed into the room. His gaze met hers. Relief filled her chest. She wasn’t alone anymore.

Then she heard her mother scream. Della looked back, thinking her mom was frightened of Chase, but that’s when she saw her sister slump forward in the chair. The smell of new blood filled Della’s nose.

“No!” Della screamed and let go of the two scumbags, and flew down to her sister. Her parents stood over her. Della saw Marla breathe, but blood oozed from her shoulder. Lots of blood.

“Give her to me,” Della said. “I can get her to a hospital fast.”

Her parents hesitated.

“I’m not a monster!
They
are the monsters,” Della screamed and for the first time, she believed it.

Her mom touched her father. “Let Della take her.”

*   *   *

Chase stood over Stone and the others were as he looked out the window and saw Della carry her sister out the back door and fly off.

Della’s mother and father stood up as if to go to the hospital. The front door swung open and two more agents walked in.

One was a female agent, a fae, and she went straight to Della’s parents.

She put her hands on them. Both Mr. and Mrs. Tsang’s postures changed immediately.

“Come,” she said to them. “Let’s talk.” She ushered them into the kitchen.

Burnett shifted closer. His eyes were bright red. He crouched down and looked at the three rogues. “Which one of you is going to tell me where my agent is that was sitting in that car out front?

“I’m counting to three, then I start shooting.” He pulled out his gun.

“One.

“Two.”

He shot Stone. “Oops, I forgot to say three.”

The two other weres gasped.

Stone tried to get up, but fell back down. The two weres looked terrified, not realizing it was only a tranquilizer gun.

“Should I start counting again?” He looked at the other two, and Chase guessed he was sizing them up for which one was more likely to talk.

“One.” He shot one of the half weres.

“He’s in the shed across the street,” the other were blurted out.

Burnett looked over his shoulder. “You get that?” But the other agent was already heading out.

Then Burnett looked back and shot the second were. Then he leaned in. “How well do you know that guard at Hell’s Pit?”

“Pretty well,” Chase said.

“Think you can remember how to get there? Eddie said he and Kirk would meet you there. Give him a call.”

*   *   *

Della paced the small room. A whole team of people was working on her sister. She’d stayed there with them until one of the doctors noticed her. “Get her out of here.”

At first she’d fought them, but then one said, “Do you want the best care for your sister?”

Della nodded and two other nurses brought Della in here. Oh, they pretended to just be comforting her. They didn’t know she’d heard the doctor tell them to detain her, and call the police.

“You want anything to drink?” the nurse asked.

“No.” Della kept blinking, and staring at the ground hoping to hide her bright eyes. Blood—her sister’s blood—soaked her blouse
.
Each time she walked back and forth, she repeated her prayer.
Don’t let her die. Please, God, don’t let her die.

She heard voices on the other side of the door. Probably the police. Della didn’t care. There would only be a problem if they tried to take her out of the hospital. She’d have to hurt someone then. She would.

All of a sudden the door in the tiny waiting room flew open and Burnett walked in. He flashed his badge to the two nurses.

Della burst out crying, and he pulled her against him. “They tell me she’s about to go into surgery,” he said. “Kylie is on her way too.”

Della pulled back. The air she tried to pull into her lungs shook. “My parents?”

Burnett glanced at the two nurses. “Can we have a minute?”

They walked out.

“I have an agent with them. I’ll bring them here as soon as … it’s safe.”

“Safe?” Della asked, and her first thought was something else had happened, but then realized what he meant. He wouldn’t—couldn’t—let them come here screaming about vampires.

“It’s not their fault,” Della said. “You can’t keep them from here. I know they’re worried sick. If Marla doesn’t make it…” Della’s throat knotted.

“I think they’ll be here shortly. I’m just making sure.”

Della noticed the blood on Burnett. “What happened?”

He frowned. “Shawn. An agent. He’d been watching your house. They got him. I just brought him in.”

“Shawn, Miranda’s Shawn?”

Burnett nodded.

“Is he…”

“No. They’re taking him into surgery too.”

Five minutes later, Kylie showed up.

No sooner had Kylie walked in than the doctor stuck his head in.

“We’re prepping her for surgery. I’ll have the nurse give you updates.”

“Can we see her?” Della asked.

“I really don’t think we can spare the time.”

Burnett looked at Della and Kylie and glanced to the door that still stood open. “Doctor, can I please have a word with you?” he motioned the doctor over.

Della and Kylie ran out. Della led Kylie to the ER where they’d taken Marla earlier.

Two nurses were standing around her, monitoring her and wiping something around her chest.

“You can’t be in here now,” one of the nurses said.

“We just need to see her for a second. Please,” Kylie said. “It’s her sister.”

When the nurse reached for a phone to call someone—probably to toss them out—Kylie moved in and put her hands on Marla’s feet.

“We need someone in here, now,” said the nurse on the phone.

Della got between the nurse and Kylie, prepared to fight if she had to.

After only a couple of seconds, Kylie said, “We can leave now.”

Della looked back and Kylie was glowing.

The two nurses gasped.

“Did it work?” Della asked, chewing on her lip as they went out.

Kylie smiled. “I’m pretty sure. I think all they need to do is take the bullet out.”

Della, realizing Kylie was still glowing, pulled off her hoodie and handed it to her.

*   *   *

Two hours later, Della sat at her sister’s side in the recovery room. She hadn’t woken up, but the surgeon—who’d been shocked at how little damage the bullet had done—had assured her that Marla would be fine.

Burnett had popped in and told her that Shawn was going to make it. “My parents?” Della asked.

“They should be here soon. It’s going to be okay,” he said. But Della was afraid to believe it. It didn’t feel okay.

He left. Della looked back at her sister and worried about what she was going to say to her.

In just a few minutes the curtain shifted again. Della expected it to be a nurse, but her mom walked in.

She looked terrible. Her face was pale, her nose red, and her eyes wet.

Della waited to see the fear, the repulsion, appear in her mom’s eyes, but it didn’t. Or Della just couldn’t see it. Her mom moved in, albeit a little slowly. She glanced at Marla, and didn’t look away until her sister’s chest shifted to take air into her lungs.

Her mom let go of a deep, sad breath.

“They say she’s going to be fine,” Della said.

Her mom met her gaze again.

“I’m so sorry,” Della said.

Her mom pulled Della into her arms.

“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong. If you hadn’t come, we’d have died.”

Della leaned in and for the first time since she’d been turned, she didn’t worry about her mom touching her, or that she’d freak out at Della’s lack of body temperature.

Her mom pulled back and she brushed Della’s tears from her face. “I’m the one who needs to say I’m sorry. I … we … I wish you could have told us. These last nine months shouldn’t have been like this.”

“It’s not an easy thing to tell,” Della said.

Her mom nodded and said, “It wasn’t an easy thing to hear, either. But things are going to be different now.”

Were they?
Della wondered. Her father wasn’t here. And she was pretty sure she knew why.

Her mom inhaled. “Your father is in the chapel. He did something terrible, Della. I’m furious at him, but he wants to apologize.”

Della figured it was about telling the police she might have killed the Chis.

“Why don’t you go and I’ll stay with Marla,” her mom said.

Della nodded, but when she walked out, she stopped and just leaned against the hospital wall. More tears fell from her lashes. What in the world was she going to say to him? Would he ever look at her and not see a monster?

Miranda and Kylie walked up. Miranda hugged her. Della hugged her back and hung on.

“You okay?” Miranda said and was the one who ended the hug.

“My dad wants to talk to me,” she said.

“Then go,” Kylie said.

“If he says anything mean to you, I’ll give him jock itch.” Miranda twitched her pinky.

Della, with tears still running down her face, couldn’t help but smile. Then she remembered. “How’s Shawn?”

“He’s out of surgery and doing well,” Miranda said. “His parents said I could visit him in a bit.”

“Good.”

“Go see your dad,” Kylie said.

Della nodded and took off, but when she came to the waiting room, she heard voices. She stopped and pushed the door open—just a few inches. Her gaze shifted around the room looking from one concerned person to the other.

It took her a second to realize who was she was looking for.

He wasn’t here. Not a vampire in the room.

She recalled some of the things she’d told him. And she supposed she didn’t deserve to have him here. But she remembered that second when she’d seen him walk into her parents’ home. She’d felt … Well, she hadn’t felt alone anymore.

Then she remembered the things she’d learned from Eddie. Chase had still been keeping things from her. Didn’t she have a right to be upset?

Stiffening her backbone, pushing Chase problems aside to worry about Daddy problems, she followed the signs to the chapel.

Chapter Fifty

Kirk and Eddie had met Chase at Hell’s Pit. He’d signed the papers for Douglas Stone, or Connor Powell, to become a regular resident.

Chase hadn’t said anything to Eddie about him talking to Burnett with Kirk around. But with their brief conversation, Eddie didn’t appear to hold any grudges against Chase.

However, Chase had sensed some tension between the two men. Eddie told Chase he’d meet him outside, and Kirk went with him through the prison’s back door to sign Stone up for his new residence. The paperwork was done and the guard led Stone to his cell.

When Chase went to leave, Kirk called him back. “I was wrong to have asked you to take care of this the way I did.”

“Yes, you were,” Chase said.

Kirk looked toward the exit and frowned. “I never meant to deceive Eddie. It was always more about protecting him.”

Chase sensed honesty in the man’s tone, but that was for Eddie to decide.