Surprise! I can't remember the last time I updated the week after a previous chapter. I figured that considering the events that happened in the previous chapter, many of you are not very happy with me, so I'm trying to stay on your good sides. :) I'm not sure I'm completely happy with this chapter, but I guess it'll do. Thank you so very much for your reviews. I always appreciate your comments. In regards to last chapter, all I ask is that you please trust me. I know what I'm doing...sort of. :)
Anthony took my hand and led me to the couch. "Listen, about Ethan, I –"
I cut him off. Ethan was the last person I wanted to talk about right now. "It's okay," I said. "I get that it wasn't your fault. I'm dealing with it. I just don't want to talk about it."
He kissed my cheek. "Sure. So how are you? I was so worried. I'm thrilled that you're here, but I thought you'd be in more trouble."
I looked at him carefully, wondering when he was planning to tell me about saving my mother's life. It didn't seem like he intended to any time soon. He was content to let it go unnoticed. He was going to be selfless. Unlike me who was planning to kill him because I was only thinking about myself. But that was the way I'd been raised.
"Why didn't you tell me that you talked to Lucas to save my mother?" I asked.
"I haven't exactly gotten a chance to talk to you in a while," he replied. "I wasn't sure he would do it, but I wanted to try."
"How did you get him to listen? I never realized that he was someone you could reason with." I asked him this out of burning curiosity.
"Honestly," he said, "I really don't know why he listened to me. After he turned my brothers and me, he was really disappointed that we weren't interested in killing, but I think he's held on to a soft spot for us. And…" he paused, seeming unsure of whether or not to continue.
"And what?" I asked.
"And I think he's kind of enjoying our situation. He wants to see how our relationship will play out. Part of the reason he let your mother go was to try and drag it all out."
I bristled at that. My life wasn't a game. "The Administratio wants him dead." I figured being direct was the best course of action here.
Anthony nodded slowly. "I thought that would be the case. I understand, he's evil, and he's been more than a nuisance to my brothers and me over the years."
I was pleased with his reaction. I wasn't sure what he would do when I told him that Lucas had to die. A nagging voice in my head had me worried that Anthony would have some vestiges of warmth left toward his uncle, but I was happy to know it was just my own pessimism.
"I'll call my brothers and Emily. They'll want an update from you on everything that's going on, and Emily will be happy to see you," he said.
"Sure, great," I plastered a smile on my face as I went over the lies I planned to tell in my head.
I was most worried about Emily. I was still determined to save her, but I realized that there were definite flaws in my plans. If, no when, I went through with killing Anthony and his brothers, Emily wouldn't have anyone left. The hunters would continue to follow her. I couldn't think of a place in the world for her to go that wouldn't have some sort of hunter ready and waiting, short of Antarctica.
Not only that, but she would be the hardest to lie to. She knew all about the hunters and the way they worked. She wouldn't just accept that they would let me off the hook after finding out that I was dating a vampire.
Anthony had just gotten off the phone with Eric. "They're on their way," he said. "Do you want something to drink?"
"Sure," I said, following him into the kitchen.
I watched him carefully as he opened the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of sprite. After spending so much time with him, I'd gotten used to turning off my hunting senses while I was around him. The thing was, I realized now that I hadn't been consciously doing it. Being around him so much automatically shut off the hyperawareness I usually had around vampires.
Now that I focused again, the tension I normally felt was back. Instead of feeling relaxed around him, I scrutinized his every moment. It was time for me to get back to who I was – a hunter.
Anthony handed me the glass of soda, and pulled out a box of chocolate chip cookies – my favorite. He sat down next to me and proceeded to feed me a cookie with a big smile on his face. I took a small bite and tried not to look him in the eye. His affection felt wrong while I secretly harbored thoughts about killing him.
The awkwardness didn't last very long because Eric, Mark, and Emily walked into the kitchen. Emily ran over to hug me.
"Evelyn, you're okay!" I had to smile at the huge ear to ear grin on her face.
"Hey Evelyn," Mark said.
"What have you been up to, little huntress?" Eric asked. He casually put his arm around Emily. I wondered how fast their relationship was moving.
"Yeah, what happened at your hearing?" Emily wondered. "I can't believe the hunters would just let you off the hook."
I was careful about the way I answered her question. Emily would be able to pick out the flaws in my lies.
"They were discussing punishment during my hearing. Caroline wanted execution and was basically stating her case, but then my mom came and all the drama with that made them postpone whatever it is that will happen," I explained.
"Are they still thinking about having you killed?" Anthony asked with a frown.
"I don't think so," I said, cautiously.
I looked around at all of them, keeping in mind that they were the enemy now, and that I needed to focus. I had to keep track of where they were at all times. Anthony was still next to me, relaxed with an arm around my shoulder. Emily was directly across from me, holding Eric's hand, and Mark was next Eric. I noticed that of the group Mark was watching me the most intently, almost as if he was scrutinizing my movements the way I was doing to everyone else.
It did occur to me that Mark would be the most difficult one when it came to carrying out the task my mother had set for me. I remembered when Caroline had tried to attack Anthony, he hadn't moved. If I attempted to kill him, I didn't think he would fight me.
Emily was unpredictable with her moods. Some days she seemed strong and ready to fight to survive. Other days she felt a loyalty to the hunters. If they tried to kill her, she may very well let them, and it was possible Eric would go down with her.
But that would leave Mark. And with him I was certain it would be one-on-one combat.
"Have you talked to your mom?" Emily asked.
"Yeah, the hunters want all of you dead," I said, trying to be as honest as possible. "Right now their main priority is Lucas."
"Did she say anything about us specifically?" Emily asked.
"She doesn't want me to have anything to do with you guys," I lied. "I really don't know how we're going to move past all this, but I'm hoping things will calm down once Lucas is dead. I think you guys should split up."
Dividing them would make my job much easier. They were powerful vampires, I was confident that I would have a chance fighting one at a time, but all of them together would be impossible.
"Why?" Mark asked, his eyebrows pulled together in a frown. "That would make us weaker if they found us."
"But I'm hoping they don't find you," I said quickly. "Right now they're looking for four vampires living together."
"It's not a bad idea," Anthony said. "Mark and I can stay here, and Emily and Eric can go back to our beach house."
"Actually, we probably shouldn't stay here. I don't like that the hunters know about this place. We should stay in a hotel," Mark suggested.
Anthony nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at the caller ID to see that Nicole was calling me. I was pretty sure that whatever it was that she wanted to talk about involved things I didn't want the vampires in the room to hear.
"That's Nicole," I said. "I should probably get going. I don't want to be gone long. The hunters might get suspicious." I gave Anthony a peck on the cheek. "I'll call you later," I told him.
I teleported back into my room and fell back on my bed. I hadn't felt so antsy around Anthony since the first time I'd seen him school. It seemed so long ago. My phone stopped vibrating for a few seconds but then started again. I had to admire Nicole's persistence.
I went downstairs where I saw Olivia pacing in the living room, and Nicole with her cell phone to her ear, a frustrated look on her face.
"Where's Mom and Cheryl?" I asked.
It was almost comical the way both of their heads snapped up at the same time to gape at me.
"Mom went to see the Administratio and Cheryl went to work. Where have you been?" Nicole asked. "I've been trying to call you."
"What did Mom say to you this morning?" Olivia asked.
The anxious curiosity on their faces surprised me. It appeared that my mother hadn't told the anything. It made me wonder if I was allowed to tell anyone what she'd said.
"You didn't ask Mom about it?" I wondered.
Olivia threw me a condescending look. "Of course we did. She said it was up to you whether or not you wanted to talk about it, or ask for help. Help with what?"
"She said it was up to me if I wanted to tell?" I asked, just to make sure.
"Are you deaf?" Olivia asked, annoyed. "I just said that." Patience had never been one of her strong points.
"Well good, I don't want to tell you," I said, glaring at her. "It's none of your business."
"Are you going to tell me?" Nicole asked. She stared me down to remind me that even if I thought it was none of her business, she would make it her business to know.
"I'm not going to talk about this right now," I said, frustrated. "I feel like this has been the longest day of my life and it's only – I glanced at the clock in the living room – eleven o'clock in the morning."
I went back up to my room, hoping they would leave me alone. I wasn't sure I could do this. My brain wouldn't stop imagining all the different scenarios of what would happen. Anthony dead, his brothers furious, I could get killed, and then it would all leave Emily alone, provided she survived whatever the Administratio had planned for her.
My phone buzzed again and I nearly threw it at the wall, thinking it might be Nicole again. Instead, I saw that I had a text from Anthony. It read: You seemed tense today. Call me if you need to talk.
And then I did throw my phone at the wall. I couldn't do this. I couldn't fake it and just kill him. My plan wasn't even completely thought out. What about Emily? She couldn't hide alone for the rest of eternity.
I collapsed onto my bed crying. Really, if I seriously thought about it, I was the one who'd brought myself here. If I had just ignored Anthony that first time he asked me to go to his house, if I hadn't gone to Ethan's grave for Caroline to find me there with Anthony, if only I'd told Emily not to come to hunt, my situation would be very, very different.
I heard a knock at the door. Nicole walked in, interrupting my self-pity party. She came with a box of tissues, which she handed to me silently.
"So what did Mom say to you this morning?" she asked, after I'd stopped sniffling.
I recounted the details of what Mom asked me to do. I told her about how the Administratio was planning to kill Emily. I even told her about how I'd gone to see Anthony at his house earlier, and how I'd thought that I could go through with pretending to be his girlfriend, but I realized now that I couldn't.
I started crying again, tears leaking down my face. I saw my reflection in the mirror across the room. Eyeliner and mascara stained my face, and my eyes were red and puffy. I shifted, uncomfortable in the tight, lacey shirt that I'd worn to impress Anthony so that he would think that I could go back to the way things used to be.
"Well, you've definitely made a mess of things," Nicole said.
"Thanks, that makes me feel so much better," I said with a glare. I knew I had no right to be upset with her. If anybody was even close to being on my side, it was Nicole.
"I wasn't trying to make you feel better," she said. "I really don't know what to do. I don't think that we're going to be able to hide Emily on our own forever. She'd need Anthony and his brothers. They provide protection that we can't give."
"So, you want me to not kill them?" I asked, surprised. Nicole had made it clear from day one that nothing what make her happier than getting Anthony and his brothers out of the picture.
"I don't see how Emily can survive without them. As a young vampire, she's weak. She has no money or a home. And it's not like we can help her adjust to being a vampire, and having a vampire's powers," Nicole mused.
"Okay, but Mom said I have to kill him, or I'll die," I said.
"Were you really going to go through with it?" she asked, a condescending look on her face. "One little meeting with him and you've already fallen apart. What'll happen when the time comes to stick a knife in him?"
"I don't know," I mumbled, defeated. This looked like it was going to come down to who I wanted to live more, Emily or myself. I couldn't help but think about how afraid I was of death, while my conscious screamed the word selfish at me.
"Mom said she wanted you to find out stuff that could help them kill Anthony, right?" She looked at me for confirmation.
"Yeah, I don't know what there is to find out, though. Anthony doesn't keep in touch with Lucas."
"Well, talk to him about Lucas. Ask him to tell you everything he knows about his uncle. While you find out about Lucas, it'll buy us some time to figure out what to do," she said, as she got up to leave.
"Okay," I murmured, weakly. Despite my uneasiness, I was beyond happy that someone was helping me.
"And Evelyn?" Nicole said, at the door. "If we can't find a way to fix this, Mom's right, Emily knows that the sentence for being turned into a vampire is death. I really hope we find something, but if we can't I'll kill Anthony, Eric, Mark, and even Emily myself. I'm not going to let you die in place of a vampire, even one who was a former hunter.