Jack grinned.
“I’ve missed that.”
Silver blinked at him.
“What?”
“The fire in your eyes.
I haven’t seen it in a long time.”
“Whose fault is that?”
Great.
Now she was going to turn her anger at the situation onto him.
Would he ever learn when to keep his mouth shut?
He wiped sweaty hands on his jeans.
Wanting to clear the air once and for all, he explained, “I didn’t invite Isobel into our dream.
She’s just full of surprises.
The girl is tenacious.”
Silver glared down at him.
With arms folded over her chest, she asked, “Should I be jealous?
I mean, you talk about her like she’s still here, and maybe she’ll come back to life someday.
So do I need to worry?
Did you like her?”
“Hell no.”
The bitter vehemence in his tone brought a light of relief to Silver’s eyes.
He added, “Actually, I kind of already have my eye on a certain stubborn blond with a bad temper.”
“Stubborn?”
He grinned again and stood up so he could touch her.
His hands went to her waist.
Holding onto her, he asked, “You want to argue about that now?”
“No.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth.
“I want to kiss you.”
“That’s a coincidence.
I want to kiss you too.”
Jack started to lower his face to do just that, but the sound of a car intruded on their moment.
His head jerked up in the hope of seeing his brother.
It was Ian Carver.
The car slid to a stop next to them.
Ian pulled two suitcases from the backseat before circling the vehicle to stand in front of Jack and Silver.
“Going somewhere?” Jack asked.
Ian’s mouth twisted into a slight sneer.
“I’m moving in.
You and I are going to get to know each other whether we want to or not.
Vanessa called.
She pointed out that we are family and as such, I owe it to you to watch out for you.
Apparently I am the only family you have left.”
A heavy rock settled in Jack’s stomach and he felt like puking all over Ian’s polished black shoes.
After swallowing hard, he said, “Billy is coming back.
He’s coming home.”
“Glad to hear it.
I won’t bother to unpack then.”
Ian carried the cases up the porch stairs.
He made one last parting shot over his shoulder before pushing his way into the house.
“You still owe me some book reports.
I want them all by the end of the week or you won’t graduate.”
Before Jack could think of something to say, Silver yelled up at the dark intruder.
“His brother just got turned into a werewolf.
You can’t possibly expect him to do schoolwork right now.
What is wrong with you?”
Ian didn’t bother to respond.
For years Jack had wanted to graduate.
His parents would have wanted him to graduate.
He could practically hear his father saying, “There’s nothing you can do about your brother, so deal with what’s on your plate.”
The last book Jack had read filled his mind, and he started to mentally list the points he wanted to make on the report.
He headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Silver called after him.
“You heard the man.
I have book reports to do.
No matter what, I’m going to graduate with you.
Nobody is going to stop me from getting that diploma.”
Silver hurried to cover the distance between them.
She took his hand and smiled up at him.
“I’ll help you do them.
Two brains work faster than one.”
******
Chapter Twenty-Five:
GRADUATION DAY
For a decade he’d dreamed about the graduation he’d missed, imagining it in vivid detail until he couldn’t take the emotional pain of being denied something he desperately wanted.
During those torturous hours of daydreaming he had seen his parents’ proud smiles as he accepted a diploma.
He had even pictured Billy, his kid brother, squirming around and making bored faces during the ceremony.
Not graduating had been one of his biggest regrets.
Real-life moments couldn’t compete with fantasy though, at least not in Jack’s experience.
From the moment he opened his eyes that day, a heavy cloud blocked out the sun’s warmth.
He ate breakfast alone and stared at the empty chair across the table from him.
Billy wasn’t there to tease him or make him nervous.
His brother had disappeared after their fight in the cemetery, leaving Jack to wonder if a hunter had bagged him.
There wasn’t a full moon anymore.
Billy should have returned to his senses by now.
So where was he?
Why didn’t he come home?
Although Ian had made good on his threat to move in with Jack, they rarely shared meals.
Between hunting and playing principal, Ian had a lot to keep him occupied.
At least Jack didn’t have to ‘make nice’ with his hostile uncle.
When Ian was in the house, Jack made excuses to be somewhere else.
Avoiding the man was a bit juvenile, but it worked.
Vanessa insisted that Jack ride with them to the graduation ceremony.
Maybe she was afraid he wouldn’t show up otherwise.
In truth, he wanted to stay home and skip the whole ordeal, but he needed to be there for Silver.
He didn’t want to disappoint her.
She’d been through enough already because of him.
The girl had missed Senior Prom because of him.
With Billy missing and maybe even dead, Jack hadn’t wanted to leave that night.
Trina didn’t have a date either, so she’d begged Silver to go with her.
But Silver had stayed with him that evening, literally holding his hand while they waited for the door to open and Billy to walk in.
Somehow he’d make it up to her.
At the very least he would graduate with her.
Unfortunately the school put them in alphabetical order so he couldn’t sit next to her.
He was in the front row, and she was somewhere near the back.
When ‘acting’ Principal Ian Carver called his name, Jack reluctantly stood.
His eyes automatically swept the crowd, and he realized with a start that he was searching for his family.
The daydreams of graduating, of how it should be had brainwashed him.
His mom would have been crying.
Perhaps his father’s eyes would have misted over too.
Jack moved forward on legs that felt like rubber to accept the long-awaited piece of paper.
His hand reached out even as a familiar face stole his attention.
Billy.
Jack tripped over his own two feet as he walked across the stage.
A few people chuckled in the background, and Ian raised a curious eyebrow.
Worried that the hunters in the room would see his brother and go after him, Jack kept moving.
He took the diploma and shook Ian’s large hand before continuing on to the other side of the stage as if nothing important was on his mind.
Jack risked another quick look at the back of the auditorium.
Billy stood near the exit.
He nodded once at Jack before using the door.
That was it.
He walked out, and Jack experienced a claustrophobic rush of panic.
Was Billy going to wait outside for him?
Was he ready to come home?
Did he need to talk to Jack about the changes warping his body and mind?
Or was he going to disappear again?
Forgetting about wanting to see Silver graduate, Jack ducked out the side door and raced around the building as fast as he could without using vampire-speed.
His heart pounded so loud he could hear it.
Arms and legs pumping, he ran until he made it to the parking lot.
Quickly he scanned the area.
No sign of his brother.
He was too late.
Billy had vanished into the dark night.
Out of breath, Jack bent over, hands on his knees as he struggled to regulate his breathing.
Heavy emotions clogged his throat.
“Looking for me?” Billy asked over his shoulder.
Jack jumped and whipped around, uncertain if his brother was there to finish him or just to talk.
Billy looked good... for a werewolf.
He hadn’t shaved in at least a few days, and there were dark purple circles beneath his eyes, but he was in one piece.
That’s what counted.
Relief flooded Jack’s senses.
“You came,” he said in a dumb statement-of-the-obvious.
“Yeah.
I was in the neighborhood.”
“Are you ready to come home?”
Billy’s mood immediately darkened.
“Can’t.”
“What are you talking about?
There isn’t a full moon anymore.
You’re fine now, right?
We can find Jersey and kill him before you morph again.”
“You don’t get it.”
Billy shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
He shifted from foot to foot, full of untamed energy.
“The moon doesn’t matter.
I can’t be near you.
Even now I’m thinking about ripping your throat out.”
The vehemence in Billy’s tone made Jack take an awkward step backwards.
“But you should feel like your old self again.
What’s going on?”
“I don’t know!”
Billy snarled at him, flashing teeth that still appeared to be a bit too sharp.
“Every time I get close to you I want to kill you, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to control it for very long.
I need to go.”
Billy did a one-eighty and maneuvered around cars in the parking lot until he was on the other side.
Now he could cross the football field, take a few back roads, and disappear into the great wide open.
It was possible this would be the last time that Jack saw his brother.
That’s why he kept his eyes on Billy’s back, unblinking, afraid to miss a single second.
When Billy reached the fifty-yard line, he stopped.
Jack’s breath caught.
Hoping that Billy had changed his mind and was going to return home, Jack waited.
His hands balled into fists as he silently prayed for a miracle.
He wanted to run to Billy, talk fast and try to convince him that going home would be the best thing, but Billy didn’t like to be pushed about anything.
So Jack waited.
Slowly, Billy turned and beckoned to Jack with one hand.
The sound of applause made Jack hesitate.
His gaze swung to the brick building, the auditorium.
Silver was inside, probably wondering why he’d left.
They could be close to her name now.
He didn’t want to miss her graduate... but he couldn’t leave his brother hanging.
If he hurried, he could make it back in time.
She would understand.
She knew how much family meant to him.
Mind made up, Jack sprinted across the parking lot.
He wanted to use his vampire-speed so he could make it back in time, but he couldn’t risk being seen.
The Reigns weren’t the only hunters in the vicinity tonight.
If one of them saw him run, they would kill him before he could convince the hunters that he wasn’t a vampire.
Running between a
slew
of parked cars, he made it to the field in less than a minute.
He started walking once he hit the artificial grass.
Billy waited impatiently, tapping his foot and looking around as if he was expecting trouble.
When Jack got close enough to hear him, Billy spoke in a gruff tone.
“I would tell you that you’re far too trusting and need to work on your gullibility issues, but it’s too late for that.”
The smile evaporated from Jack’s face.
“What are you talking about?”
“I didn’t come here tonight to see you graduate, moron.
A friend of yours asked me to lure you away from your bodyguards.”
“Friend?”
It had to be Jersey.
Jack stiffened and made a vain wish that someone would bring him the magic rock so he could end this now.
If it was possible, he would kill Jersey with his bare hands.
Somehow he was going to free his brother and Silver.
She could go to college, and Billy could have his life back.
Billy gestured to someone over Jack’s shoulder.
The sound of rushing wind met Jack’s ears and briefly disturbed his hair.
He turned, and his anger was replaced by cold fear.
It wasn’t Jersey.
Blaine had used vampire-speed to cross the field and reach Jack before he could figure out it was a trap. Blaine had returned to finish their last fight.
Jack glanced around, wondering if Blaine had brought another crowd of vampires to watch.
There didn’t appear to be anyone else around.
Jack relaxed a bit.
If Blaine was the only vampire he had to fight, he could take him, no problem.
Jack made light of the situation, forcing an easy grin.
“Where’s your entourage?”
“Dead.
Or don’t you remember seeing that beautiful brunette creature destroy them all?
No matter.
I should have taken care of you alone.
Bringing an audience was my undoing.
If I hadn’t been showing off for my friends, I would have heard the hunter before she drove a stake through my chest.
If I see her again, I’ll have to give her a lesson in anatomy.
She missed my heart by a mile.”
Jack didn’t bother to tell the Albino Vampire that he wouldn’t see Isobel again because Jersey had taken care of her.
Instead he asked, “When did you start hanging out with werewolves?”
Blaine shrugged his thin shoulders.
“One does what one has to these days.”
“You’re a traitor to your own race.
When the other vampires hear about you playing with dogs, they’re going to tear you to pieces.”
Billy growled an angry protest at being called a dog, but they both ignored him.
“The vampires won’t be miffed with me, not once they hear my explanation.
You see, I want the war to happen, and I want to lead my race into battle against Jersey Clifford and his kind.
Once we destroy the mutts, we’ll take over this entire planet.
Worthy humans will be turned and others will be kept on farms as our food source.”
Jack shook his head, astounded.
“You’re dreaming.
The war isn’t going to happen because I’m taking Jersey down.
Nothing you can do can stop me, but I’d like to see you try.
I honestly would.
I’ll stake you, and I won’t miss your heart.”
Blaine grinned.
“Then let the games begin.”
Jack and his opponent moved simultaneously.
To the naked human eye they would be a blur of color, but Billy could see them.
Although werewolves couldn’t move as quickly as vampires, they had keen eyes.
Billy laughed aloud before abandoning Jack to his fate.
He took off in the direction of the goalposts.
Jack wanted to chase him, but first he needed to destroy the Albino.
Blaine had learned a few moves.
He dropped down, whipped around in a circle with his legs, and knocked Jack’s feet out from under him, but Jack was only on the ground for a second.
Leaping up, he punched the Albino in the face.
They traded fast and hard blows.
Silver screamed Jack’s name, and he glanced her way.
She was running toward him with her mom, dad, and Ian in tow.
Each of the hunters had a weapon in their hands.
Relief made Jack smile.
It was going to be okay.
Blaine was outnumbered, and the fight had ended before it truly began.
“You’re going to get it now,” Jack said.
Blaine shook with silent laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Jack asked.
Blaine reached behind his back.
“Your brother told me how to kill you.”
Before Jack could put a single thought together, before he could think about running or ducking, Blaine lifted a gun and shot him.
It was an odd world.
Werewolves were using knives and vampires had guns.