Vampires Rule

Jersey Makes a Confession

Jack drove home as fast as he could without drawing the wrong kind of attention. The last thing he needed was a speeding ticket. Once he finally reached the house, he leaped out of the car and raced inside. Terror had been his nagging companion on the ride home. He couldn't get the janitor's ugly laughing face out of his head.

Billy was busy fixing a sandwich when Jack entered the kitchen. With drooping eyes and a slack mouth, he didn't look like he'd gotten much sleep either. He dropped the dull knife he'd been using to spread peanut butter and grabbed a sharper one from the drawer. "Come any closer and I'll slice your heart out."

Adrenaline pumped dangerously fast in Jack's veins, messing with his sense of self-preservation. Part of him wanted to jump over the breakfast bar and wrestle the knife from his brother's hand. He didn't appreciate being threatened, especially not after what he'd just seen. The diplomatic voice inside his head told him to take it easy. He forced himself to stand still, even though every muscle he owned nearly went into spasms over the inactivity.

"I saw him!" Jack tried to keep his voice steady, but it cracked with emotion. Tears of frustration and grief filled his eyes. "He's working at the school. We have to kill him."

Billy's eyebrows went up. "Who do we have to kill?"

"I don't know what he's calling himself."

"You want to kill someone and you don't even know his name? Right. Did he cheat off your paper or cut in line at lunch?"

Jack's head felt like it might implode. It was holding too much information, too many terrible thoughts. He took another deep breath and tried to steady his shaking hands. "Okay. I know you don't trust me right now, but you need to listen. I saw him, the werewolf who killed mom and dad. He's at the school."

Billy froze, sandwich halfway to his mouth. His eyes seemed to glaze over. With an angry grunt, he tossed his unfinished meal into the trash. His finger jabbed the air in warning. "You had better not be messing with me."

"I'm not."

"You have no idea how badly I've wanted to find him." Billy headed into the living room with determined steps. Jack followed close behind. Billy opened the secret room and started removing weapons two at a time before piling them on the sofa. "I searched and searched for that animal. Now you're telling me he's working at the school?"

Jack nodded.

Billy checked each gun. He made sure the safety was on before loading them with as much ammunition as they would accept. It was quite a selection of hardware. There were small guns and big guns, knives, and even a mechanical bow. He handled each one with care, the way their father had taught them. When Jack reached for one, Billy slapped his hand.

"I don't think I trust you enough to give you a weapon yet."

Jack wasn't going to argue about it. His brother believed him. They were on the same side for once. No sense in pushing it until they had another fight. It would be especially stupid to argue with Billy while a ton of weapons were within reach.

"How much do you know about werewolves?" Jack asked.

"Not as much as the Reign family, but enough to get by."

"I think we need to do more than get by here. The werewolf who killed mom and dad is extremely powerful. He may even be the lead werewolf. If so, then only Silver can kill him. Unless..."

Billy stopped what he was doing and looked up, curious. "Unless what?"

"Silver says there's a magic rock with the power to kill any werewolf on the planet. According to her, I'm the one who needs to use this rock. In fact, I'm the only one who can use it. It was made for me."