“Back off, Sera, she is not an abomination. She’s human, like we once were. You can cut the enemy tactics now, I want to know what you’re doing here and if you don’t tell me, Blaze will be happy to ask you.” Rye’s voice was icy, digging into the air like picks. This made Seraphin pull her stare away from me to look at him. I think she hadn’t really looked at him much since she had left him because the surprise in her expression made me think that she had just remembered how handsome he was.

I wanted to bellow out a laugh but stuffed a bite of mashed potatoes and gravy into my mouth instead. I tried to stifle the sting of the jealousy crawling inside me, knowing I had no reason to feel that way. Still, she used to be madly in love with him, and he with her. I could only hope that he felt the same¬, or maybe even more, for me now.

“Well?” Rye pushed as he waited for her answer. Seraphin sighed, shoving her tray to the side and sitting back a bit, contemplating her next words carefully.

“I wanted to see you, Rye. I have something to ask of you.” She darted her eyes at me but bounced them back to him right away. I felt that I shouldn’t be there; she didn’t want me there. Pressing my lips together, I wondered if I should take the hint and leave. Feeling the rest of the room staring at me from all around made me change my mind about walking away so they could chat. It was a bit risky but I didn’t want a repeat of the Charles incident.

“Whatever you have to ask, go ahead, April should hear it too.” He still looked serious but not angry. In fact, the confusion that swam on Seraphin’s face now was bordered with hurt, as if she realized something she didn’t want to.

“Fine, but she is an abomination, just like the other two. They aren’t human, even if they look it.” She turned to me and smirked. “Except they don’t know that blood would make them much more powerful, if she could even stomach it.” Tilting her head, she waited for my reaction as I absorbed what she said.

What?

“Stop!” Rye snapped. “Tell me what you want now or I’m done.” He dropped his fork, apparently losing his appetite along with me. I bit my lip, holding back the torrent of obscenities I wanted to lay into her right then. I would never, ever drink blood. Never.

But what did she mean by all that? How could I not be human?

Seraphin’s look hardened and her lips creased tight as her silence engulfed the thick air between us. I wondered if she would tell Rye what she wanted or if she just had. The questions tormented my head as I waited, not wanting to wait much longer.

In response, Seraphin stood up with a jolt, sending her tray crashing to the floor. Rye held his place on the bench but his usually calm and stoic exterior was quietly steaming. He was so angry, I hoped the two wouldn’t battle it out right then and there. I darted my glances between them, feeling unsure of what to do next.

The dark-haired vampire let her fangs flash as her scowl morphed into a smile. She began laughing, letting her entire body shake with it. Confusion swam in Rye’s expression, mirroring my own puzzled face. I wasn’t sure where this was going, nor did I want to know. I wanted her to stop laughing, to turn and run as fast as she could out the door and disappear forever. Knowing I disliked her that much made me come back to myself, studying her that much more intently, wanting to know what was going on inside her head instead.

Her laugh drizzled down to a snuffled laugh as her eyes hovered over me. I straightened up, seeing tears now streak down her face. She was beautiful, in a fragile way. The dirt and grime had covered it well, presenting her as a savage animal when she had attacked me in the hall. Now, she was more like a porcelain doll with diamonds streaming down her face, her sobs now filling the air as she failed to stifle them.

“So you finally replaced me,” she muttered to herself more than anyone, sniffling as she regained her composure. Sitting down again and hunching over, she stared at the table. “You know, my mate is dead now. He died in an explosion on one of the harvested casinos on the strip.” Her eyes fluttered up to mine, her eyes shining with the tears still pooling in them. “You wouldn’t know anything about that would you, Rye?” She turned back at her ex-husband and waited, the hatred gone and only desolate sadness remaining.

Rye’s jaw twitched as his face stilled. He said nothing but stared coldly back at her. I was done with the tension and I prayed that it would end soon. I was tired of watching this ex-lover’s quarrel, knowing it was about me regardless of what was said.

“Heh.” Seraphin shook her head, wiping her face and standing up once more. She circled the table and came to stand between Rye and myself. Bending down, she let her lips almost touch his ear as she whispered, loud enough for me to hear, but no one else. “Give her blood. Make her realize she is one of us. No one will stop our victory and she will be all yours.” She pulled away, her eyes slipping over toward me, her face stone cold serious as she sped out of the massive room.

It sent shivers through my entire body to hear her words. I was still confused but something dawned on me that made my stomach turn into rock inside of me.

“Rye?” My voice was a whisper, unsure and shaking like an earthquake.

He didn’t seem to notice my plea, breathing in deeply, clearly affected by Seraphin’s words. They had crawled into him and woven around his brain.

“Hmm?” He stood up as the spark returned to his steel-colored eyes. He pulled me up, too, and held my hand as I followed behind him, leaving the dining area behind. I didn’t ask my question. I couldn’t, at least not here. Not yet.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The bed felt amazing but my head was making it impossible to sleep. Rye had left me to rest after he’d brought me back to the sleeping quarters. I begged him to stay but he had refused, stating that he had some loose ends to tie up before resting. I let him go only after he told me exactly what Seraphin had meant by giving me blood. He was so reluctant that I almost had to rip it out of him, telling him that he would have to deal with me no matter where he went. He had rubbed his tired face, sighing as he sank onto the bed beside me.

“She’s right, April. They discovered this in the enemy hive. If blood is introduced to you or anyone from your family, you become stronger. A super human. You would have a vampire’s strengths but none of our weaknesses; you’d also be much more powerful than we could ever be….”

“Wait, what?” I stuttered, interrupting his words. No, no way.

“It’s true. There are no true humans left, only us hybrids, the wildling vampires and you, a type of super human and vampire hybrid. You don’t need blood to survive but if you do have it, you’ll become immensely strong and powerful, capable of killing a hybrid without breaking a sweat.” He stood up then, looking extremely concerned as he turned to walk away but he hesitated, making me feel breathless.

I had nothing to say to that. Was that what they had been doing with my mother’s and brother’s blood, finding out all about them and their uniqueness? Blood made us a rare breed indeed. But what if the hybrids fed off of our blood? Would it help make them more powerful? I asked Rye this before he stepped out into the walkway toward the door.

He shook his head, shrugging. He seemed frustrated that he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, answer me. He didn’t seem to know. I had wanted to ask him what would happen to a feral that drank my blood but he had also seemed uneasy to answer that. If a vampire had my blood, it could mean a dozen things. It could make them just as powerful as me or be as useless as a placebo to them. Who knew? I was hoping the rival hive didn’t know or wasn’t planning on finding out.

I felt suddenly anxious to get going to save my family. Time was running out. It had taken so long to get this far. I prayed they were still okay, that they had been left plenty alone and not tampered with. If they had been, what would I find? What could I do about it? I was definitely not sure and decided to try not to think about it. Tomorrow I would confront it; tomorrow everything would be known.

But tonight I had to rest, even though my mind was having none of that with the millions of questions running through it. I wanted it to be over; I wanted the normal life I had always thought I would have, a life of college, parties and homework. It didn’t seem like so much to ask for yet here I was, without any of them and without any hope for the future but a bleak darkness that enveloped everything it touched.

Rye had left without saying goodbye, uncertain as to what else to say. Might as well be that way, for I had nothing else to say either. I awaited the daylight like never before as I pulled the soft blanket up to my chin and curled onto my side, the pillow under my neck and over my arm. The texture of the wall was looking far more interesting than anything else. Closing my eyes, I willed the sleep to come. I had lost count of the days without my family. I had lost the time so easily, never noticing how it had flown by without a glance. I would make sure my family was safe and rescued tomorrow. If it took drinking a vat of blood, so be it. There was nothing left for me to fear now and I was done being nice. It was time to get to know myself better. How else could I really know? What would it possibly do?

If I was human, it would do nothing to me, maybe cause my stomach to churn and make me sick. Otherwise, if what Seraphin had said was true, maybe it would be the edge I needed to win this, maybe it would be the difference we needed to overtake the hive and find my family that much faster. In the morning I would ask Rye for blood; I would drink it and see if it did anything. If it went well, I would be that much closer to my family. If not, I wasn’t opposed to puking it right back up.

My eyelids fluttered, growing heavy like weights had been sewn onto them as I fought to stay awake. It was late and I would have only a few hours of sleep at this rate if I didn’t stop my mind from racing. I let my eyelids close, savoring the darkness as it slipped into my mind and beckoned me to rest. Yes, I could rest. There was a chance the next sunrise would be my last. So for the time being, I rested.

Chapter Twenty-Four

The early hours rolled in much too quickly. I snapped awake at Miranda shaking my shoulder, whispering that it was time to get ready to go. I was never awake faster than at that moment, on my feet and moving. I had never gotten ready so quickly before either, almost forgetting to put my hair back into a tight pony tail. Of all days, I didn’t need my long black hair in my face. Tucking in my shirt and strapping my weapons to my belt and bandoleer, I smiled at the bow and arrows laid out for me, along with several grenades. I was sure either Miranda or Rye had thought to bring me more stuff. I was certain to use it. After putting on a light jacket, I pulled on the quiver and hung the grenades along another bandoleer, crisscrossing the other one full of sharp silver daggers.

Glancing up before I left, I caught sight of my reflection in the dresser mirror. I looked like me, but thinner and just that much older. My blue eyes seemed to glow slightly, making them stand out from my skin. I could see my mother’s face in mine as well as some of my father’s strong features. He had mercifully died three years ago, quietly in his sleep. A silent heart defect, they had said. My mother had been devastated. I had been numb but strong for her. Jeremy was a bit too young to understand what had happened. The pain and loss fades with time, but it never truly goes away. Just another unseen scar on the soul.

I swallowed the slight anxiety swirling up into my throat as I pushed back a strand of my charcoal black hair, straight as an arrow, without a curl in sight. I felt a wave of comfort flow over me. I knew things would be okay, no matter what happened that day.

A smile crept onto my lips, letting the white of my teeth shine through, reminding me of that school girl I once was. Jeremy shared my smile and I couldn’t wait to see his again. This was the most important day of my life. Nothing would keep me from them; I would make sure to do anything to bring them back. Even though I didn’t look forward to drinking any blood today, I was going to. If it gave me an edge to win, it was a small thing to me now.

“About ready?” Rye’s calm voice echoed in the empty room. Turning toward him I nodded, strapping my last machete in, tying it to my thigh. I kicked my legs up and rotated my arms around, making sure my weapons would not restrict my movements. Taking a deep breath in, I cracked a smile, returning his. His eyes were glowing this morning, like shiny steel balls that I had seen rocking back and forth against each other on office desks before the outbreak. The ticking and continual momentum had been fascinating to look at. Now these orbs shined back at me in the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. An ocean of calm filled me with him nearby.

“Let’s go,” I said, and followed him out to have a quick light breakfast in silence with the others in the crowded main tunnel. I was quite impressed by how many were joining us today. The tunnel was full of hybrids, built like skyscrapers and geared up for a war. I took in the exhilaration of the atmosphere as murmurs rippled through the crowd, a mixture of light laughter and more serious chatting echoing off the walls. I let the energy fill me up, hoping it would be enough to get me through what I was going to do next.

“Rye, bring me some blood.” I averted my gaze to his lips, avoiding his eyes, for I knew they would be filled with confusion. He shook his head slightly, his lips pursed.

“April, no, you don’t have to do that….”

“I know.” I shushed him, hoping he could see that I would not take no for an answer. I didn’t want to fight him for it; I wanted all my energy left for the battle ahead.

“It might not work.” He reached up and ran his fingers down the curve of my cheek, making me bring my eyes up to meet his. I could feel my skin tingle under his touch as it arrested my breathing for a moment. I could feel his concern but I kept it to myself. I didn’t want to feel his anxiety, too. I wanted to be focused, determined to make it out of this game alive no matter what.