"Jamie!" the man shouts. "I'm so glad you're okay. I've been calling you guys for days. Where is your mother?" He holds his hands out to his sides like he wants a hug, but Jamie doesn't move. Instead, her eyebrows pull together.
"I'm sorry. Who—"
The man chuckles. "It's me," he says and pulls his sunglasses off. "Brian."
"Oh my god." Jamie opens the door the rest of the way.
My chest clenches. I have a bad feeling about the man at the door, even if she knows him.
"I didn't recognize you with the," she motions to her own clothes, "outfit. What's all this?"
Brian laughs. "I know, I know. Kinda ridiculous, huh?" He pulls at his T-shirt. "They sent this garb to everyone assigned over to Bolton."
Jamie quirks her head to the side. "Assigned to Bolton?"
Brian nods and motions to the hallway. "Do you mind?"
"Oh!" Jamie blushes and dares a quick glance at me.
"Unless." Brian leans to get a better look inside. "Is someone here?"
Jamie moves to block his gaze. "No. It's just..." She forces a chuckle. "You know how my mom is and the house is kind of a disaster right now."
I backtrack into the attached hallway as silently as I can and tuck myself around the corner. I don't want to be too far from Jamie, but Brian looks like the kind of guy who'll stake me first, ask questions later.
"I've known your mom for years. I'm sure she won't mind if I see her un-vacuumed living room."
"No, absolutely." Jamie motions for him to come inside. "Of course you're right." She glances at the spot where I was standing and lets out a sigh of relief when she sees I'm hidden. "So. What are you doing in Bolton anyway?"
"I got relocated out here." He shrugs. "I think most of the others got relocated out here too with everything going on."
"How did you get here?" Jamie asks. "The highway is blocked off by newborns and—"
The man looks at Jamie curiously. "How did you know that?"
Jamie swallows hard. "What?"
"Your mom didn't... She didn't run did she?" The man crosses his arms over his chest and shakes his head. "Unbelievable."
"Listen, relax. There's more to it than that," Jamie protests.
Brian throws his hands out in exasperation. "Do you know what Boss will do to her if she finds out she ran in a time like this? Do you know what she'll do to me if I don't report her to the agency?"
"It's not a crime to take a vacation," Jamie argues.
Brian lets out a sarcastic Ha! "On vacation? While Bolton's in the middle of a vampire war?" He's pacing the kitchen, talking more to himself than Jamie now. "She ran. I can't believe she ran. How could she run at a time like this? This isn't the Violet I know." Looking at Jamie again, he says, "Where did her fire go?"
Jamie snaps her hair tie around her wrist. "Things are really complicated right now, Brian."
He rolls his eyes. "Your mother stood next to me while we took our oath. I never would have guessed she'd skip town when things get difficult."
Jamie bites the inside of her cheek and somehow, I know what she's thinking. That's not the kind of complicated she's talking about. Jamie's mom didn't leave because there are too many vampires in Bolton. She left because her daughter is dating one and the line between human and vampire doesn't exist in the same way it used to. She left because all the people who are being turned by Parker don't deserve to die. It's not their fault. They're victims. She left because it's messy and murdering people because some guy bit them in an alley doesn't sit right with her anymore. Not now that she's seen vampires do good. Not after she's seen us risk our own lives to protect her family.
Brian looks to the side, a pouty scowl glued to his face. "I thought you said you're alone." He motions to the dining table. Jamie and I look at the table at the same time, at the two half-eaten omelets.
"I um—"
I hate seeing Jamie flustered like this. And the man doesn't seem to be a threat. Before I can think this through, I'm walking into the kitchen from the attached hallway. My throat tightens at the scent of a new person in the house. I try to swallow the scratchiness and extend a hand to Brian.
"Hi. Sorry. That's mine." I motion to the plate of food. "I was a little nervous when Jamie told me she didn't recognize you on the camera," I tell him. "Everything is a little crazy right now. I'm—"
"Completely understandable." He shakes my hand. "I'm Brian. I work with Violet." It feels foreign, hearing someone refer to Jamie's mom by her first name.
Jamie says, "So, what exactly are you doing here?" before I can say "nice to meet you."
Brian looks at her like she's crazy. "Um, earth to Jamie." He knocks on the side of her head like she's a child. "There's a leech apocalypse at your front door. Why do you think I'm here?"
Jamie manages to maintain a smile. "Silly me." She clears her throat. "What I was trying to say is... What's your plan? Are you going to storm into the city and put a stop to the apocalypse on your own?"
A sinister smile creeps onto Brian's face. He shakes his head. "No. No, I'm not." He waits a beat for emphasis before he claps his hands together. "I'm here to deliver... This." He pulls a device from his back pocket. It looks like an ordinary digital thermometer. Brian holds a hand out to me. "Give me your finger." My body goes tense. Reluctantly, I hold my hand out but Jamie pushes it away.
Brian shoots her a look.
She laughs to lighten the mood. "Is that what I think it is?" She fakes awe but I can see the way her jaw clenches.
Brian nods. His eyes have a new set of determination.
"And it... Works?" Jamie asks.
"Well, I was trying to show you, but—"
Jamie extends her hand. "Gwen's a civilian," she says. "You shouldn't be testing equipment on a civilian." She's speaking too quickly, reaching for any excuse that might fit the narrative. If Brian notices, he doesn't mention it.
Brian's smile softens. "You are so much like your mother." Without another word, he takes Jamie's ring finger and presses it to the end of the device. He pulls a trigger and Jamie flinches. "Sorry about that. We found that blood samples provide the most accurate results." He runs his finger over the plastic handle. "Best part is, it's got a storage of fresh needles inside. So, if we give them to the common people, we could have hunters drop by and change out the equipment every week or so. Very professional, very clean."
I smell the drop of blood on Jamie's finger before I see it. She dares a quick glance at my face before rushing to the kitchen and pressing a paper towel to her finger. I hold my breath in my throat. When's the last time Sophie gave me a blood bag? It's been too long. I can feel it in my body. My muscles are tense. My mind is foggy and no matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about sinking my teeth into Jamie's neck. Disgust creeps into my chest. How can I think about draining the woman I just made love to? Is the monster in my head really that much stronger than I am?
The device in Brian's hand flashes green. He smiles and turns the screen toward her.
Jamie can't help the shocked look on her face. "It works," she whispers.
Brian nods hard. "Sure does."
"And you guys have tested this on vamp– Leeches?"
Brian continues nodding. "That's why I'm here. I'm delivering them to every hunter in Bolton county. Once we get a grip on the massacre that's happening here..." He inhales a deep breath. "No leech in Bolton... Hell. No leech in America will be able to hide."
"That's... Great." Jamie's voice shakes.
"Do you understand how important this is?" Brian's voice grows louder with his excitement. "This is going to be the new standard. We could provide these to every public establishment. Every police officer will have one on their belt. We'll scan people everywhere they go."
Jamie swallows. "Mhm."
"This is going to put an end to leeches. Period."
As he says it, the front door swings open behind him.
John and Aurora walk in first, holding large cardboard boxes of what I'm hoping is blood bags. My entire body is vibrating with nerves as I take Jamie's hand in mine and guide it to her pocket. If I'm having trouble being around her blood, John is going to lose it.
She nods and shoves her hand in her pocket, but it doesn't do much to hide the scent of her blood. I'm more worried about John smelling the blood when I realize there's a bigger threat. What if Brian can tell they're vampires? No. No way. Aurora's been hiding within human society for years. John's posture's stiff but he's passing. I think.
I almost let myself relax until Sophie comes in after them. She's got a firm hand clamped around Leah's arm and I can't help but sigh. Any hope at fitting in is gone. Even though John and Aurora can pass as human, Leah certainly can't. Not with glowing red eyes and her statue-like posture.
Sophie and the others freeze when they see Brian.
John's staring at Brian as he says, "Gwen?"
I clear my throat. "Yeah."
But he's too shocked by the stranger's presence to continue.
"Gwen," Jamie whispers.
"Yeah." I repeat without looking at her. I'm too focused on Brian. If he pulls a stake out of his pocket, we're doomed.
"This is really bad," she whispers.
Brian takes his gaze from the group of vampires and looks at Jamie. "What the hell is going on here?"