Struck (A Vampire Novel) ✔

Forty-Seven (Part Two)

He threw me another glance, those mirrored blue eyes shining energetically. "I wouldn't expect anything less," He finished simply. I frowned at him, tilting my head in confusion. As time went by, I was more confused by what I had been told to believe. This wasn't the man I expected at all.

"My mom... she told me you were crazy," I bravely admitted quite suddenly. Maybe the herbs in the tea had acted as an alcoholic beverage, raising my courage levels considerably. Zachary had tightened his grip on the steering wheel at the statement, but otherwise hadn't reacted. When he didn't appear offended, I considered it an opening to continue. "What happened with you two? And with... me? I mean, I have my theories, but no facts."

"I waited too long to tell her about my family heritage," Zachary stated darkly, not looking at me. "When you were about three years old, she finally demanded answers. I told her the truth: what I am and what that made you. She left and took you with her." He hesitated then, his eyes looking across at me, obviously uncomfortable with the topic.

"I looked for you for a while. Every time I got close, Elizabeth moved away. Eventually, I just let her have her wish and left you for a normal life. I thought you would be safe, away from the pain and death that hunters are forced to live with. When I got word that Jacobi Bryant," He spat the name venomously, an uncharacteristic amount of hatred spilling into his words at the mention of someone I now felt grief for each time I recalled his face. "... had my daughter, was beating and bleeding her, I had to get you back as quickly as I could." I winced at the statement, knowing that Clio had probably relayed an overly exaggerated amount of abuse I was going through under Jacobi's care, but I felt slightly defensive about it.

We went the rest of the ride in silence. By the time we pulled onto an isolated road on private property, the sun was beginning to rise, indicating to me just how long I had been out and about that night. I stared wide-eyed at the brightening sky, frozen as I watched the stars disappear above the tree line. How long had it been since I'd been in the sun's beams? I couldn't even remember. I felt like I was wandering out of a cold cave and into the warmth of light.

I was so enthralled by the sunrise that I didn't even realize we had reached a pair of impressive gates, heavily guarded by what I at first thought were military personnel but instead turned out to be vampire hunters. With a few words from Zachary, the gate was opened, and we drove through what looked like a campus of some sort; or what Zachary had described as the reservation. I would have described it similar to a college campus, where large buildings were placed in certain distances away, probably each having their own specific designated purpose. Zachary pulled into a parking lot in front of a larger building, which looked to be the main offices.

I followed Zachary out of the vehicle slowly, staring at the reservation around me, as he led us into the building. I was reluctant to miss out on the sunlight, but I followed him into the bright building regardless. He paused in front of one of the double doors, looking back at me.

"Just stay here. I'm going to add you as a guest, but I'll start the process of registering you into the system for a more permanent stay... if you want to stay, I mean. You're an adult, so if you'd rather leave, we can arrange that," Zachary told me before disappearing through the doors. I watched after him, imagining the fact that I was free to go home or stay here and make a vampire hunter life my home. I recalled my life before Jacobi; working, going home to my apartment with Liv, and relatively enjoying just existing. After all the troubles I had gone through, I wasn't sure if I could get back into the motions, but at the same time, I couldn't see myself killing vampires... not good vampires, at least. Vampires like Noland and Vincent; I could imagine killing happily.

Zachary came back with a card, handing it to me. I looked at it momentarily, seeing my name with the word 'guest' underneath. A black bar was across the back of it, along with numbers and a barcode. I assumed this would allow me to move freely about the reservation.