Blood of a Werewolf (26 page)

“Oh no, Blake, what have you done?”
 
He opened the letter and sat down on the bed.

Sweetheart,
 

I am so sorry. Your family is my family and I wouldn’t harm a hair on your brother’s head.
 
I admit I got caught up in the conversation and encouraged Blake’s antics, but I’d never let him do something that could hurt him.
 
Looking back, I can see how it may have looked to you.
 
I didn’t find out about his past until after when I talked to Rowan. If I were in your shoes, I would have been angry at the suggestion too.
 
I don’t blame you for being so angry.
 
I can only hope you can forgive me, so I can prove to you that you and your family are very important to me.
 

I tried to talk Blake into waiting until things between you and I had cleared, but he was so desperate for a resolution. I hoped that in helping your brother’s pursuit for answers, I would also be showing you just how much the both of you mean to me.
 
He seemed so distraught, I hoped that this trip would ease his anxieties and be a quick road to some answers.
 
Two days tops, and we will be back.
 

Please forgive me, my love.
 
My heart aches for you every second we’re apart.

Darby

He ran to his bedroom and grabbed his phone.
 
There were forty-two text messages and five voicemails and 90% of them were from Darby.
 
The last text message was the only one he looked at before he was running to the car.

Rowan was on standby for the 11:05 A.M. flight to Denver. Sitting helplessly in the airport fidgeting with her earrings, she looked out the window.
 
She had been there about an hour now and she still had an hour before she would know if she could get on the plane. She got up to grab a cup of coffee and when she turned she ran right into Devon.

“Hey – what are you doing here?”

“I’m trying to get on the 11:05.”

“Same here, but why? Thought you said they could take care of themselves?”

“Yeah, I guess I said that. I guess I said a lot of things I shouldn’t have.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I found the letter.”

“Told you there was a letter,” Rowan said smugly.

“Yeah, you did. Where were you headed just now?”

“Oh, umm, I was going to get a latte.”

“Allow me?”

“Whatever.”

On his way back from getting the latte, he stopped at the gate desk to see if he and Rowan could get on the flight in first class.

“Yes, sir.
 
We do have two seats in First.
 
Would you like to purchase them?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Here you go, Sir.
 
Passengers will be boarding in twenty minutes.”

He sat down next to Rowan, handed her the latte, and a ticket.

“What’s this?”

“I got us on in First class.”

“Thanks.”

“Have you heard any more from Darby or Blake?”

“No.”

“Can you sense anything from either of them?”

“Maybe, what do you care? Weren’t you the one who disowned all of us? I’m not Darby, Devon, I’m not as sweet and forgiving as my sister.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I deserved that. You know, it’s not always easy being the oldest sibling.
 
We make mistakes sometimes too.”

“Hmmmm,” she said in acknowledgement.

An hour into the flight sitting in utter silence next to Devon, Rowan whispered, “What is the issue between werewolves and vampires.
 
I’m scared, but Blake seems horrified by it all. As far as I can tell, the worst that can happen is that I turn into a wolf three days a month. It’s not great! I’m certainly not looking forward to it, but it’s not the end of the world. Why is he acting so weird?”

“It’s a good question and I plan on asking him that the next time I see him. I think the friction between the two species is primal.
 
A werewolf can kill a vampire and vice versa. Some families are more spiteful than others and the reasoning is probably someone in their family was killed by the opposite species. For example, Blake and I have an uncle who avidly hates werewolves. When we lived with him after our parents were killed, he told us over and over about an incident with a werewolf that had terribly upset him and distorted his views on the species.

“I never thought much about the story but maybe his influence on Blake regarding werewolves has affected him. Our parents had no prejudices against them, nor do I, but maybe Blake is having a hard time with it. I couldn’t say for sure.”

“Blake has mentioned your Uncle Dominic to me.
 
He seems to admire him quite a bit.
 
I just don’t get it though. Why does it matter so much? It would really make us more equal in strength and speed. I’m still me. Aren’t I?”

“Yes, of course you are. He knows that. I think he’s just confused, worried, and maybe scared.”

“Hmmm. Thanks, Devon! You can be a pretty good brother when you’re not being an angry butt-head.”

“Gee. Thanks!” Devon said, not really knowing if it was a compliment or an insult. “So tell me, can you sense them?”

“I can sense her, but not your brother. He’s pretty much blocked me out of his head since Maine.”
 

“Me too.”

“I can see Darby and there’s a lot of blood. Her neck is a mess, with blood and punctures all over it. There’s something wrong too with her stomach. She’s in Longmont.
 
When I called 911 they told me the address of Dean Wolfe was 1414 Old Oak Hollow Road. The operator told me they had dispatched a car, but they haven’t called me back with any info.”

“Who’s Dean Wolfe?”

“I assume it’s a relative of Benjamin’s, but it wasn’t on the list Darby had.
 
The last text I got from Darby said that they had gone through the entire list and had made no headway.
 
She tried to talk him into going home, but he insisted they stay.
 
He told her to go home if she wanted to, but she felt without you there, that she should stay with him, since he didn’t seem to be himself.
 
She was worried about him.”

“Maybe that’s the name he got off the police database.”

“Darby would have never let him do that.”

“She would if she didn’t know what he’d done.”

“I suppose, but she would have suspected something.”
 

“She probably did, but you yourself said he’s not been himself, maybe he pushed her, without telling her anything.”

“Your brother wouldn’t have let Darby go there by herself, would he?”

“I don’t think so. Why?”

“Well, I just don’t understand why she is so beat up.
 
Where the heck was Blake during all this?”

“I don’t know. I guess we will find out when we get there. I just hope we get there in time.”

Devon felt like the flight would never end.
 
He and Rowan were the first ones off the plane. They ran all the way to the car rental desk.
 
Rowan kept up with him the whole way, without breathing hard.
 

“I think your werewolf abilities are kicking in,” Devon said.
 

“Hmm.” It hadn’t occurred to her until he mentioned it, but they had been flying through the airport with agile grace, avoiding people and luggage. Running again for the car, they were finally on their way. She navigated him through Denver airport and out to the freeway with the GPS in the car.
 
Not much was said in the car.
 
Both of them were focused on where they were going.
 
After about 45 minutes, they came to the outskirts of Longmont and Rowan navigated Devon to 1414 Old Oak Hollow Road.
 

Chapter 19

It was eerily silent when they pulled in the driveway. There was no one around for miles, no cars in the driveway, and the house looked abandoned.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” Rowan said. “Can you feel it?”

“Yes, I feel it.
 
Can you sense Darby?”

“Yes, she’s still here.
 
She’s inside and there’s someone with her.”

“Is it Blake?”

“No.”

“Is she in danger?”

“Not from him, I don’t think. From her wounds.”

“But why didn’t the police come?”
 

“Maybe they did and thought it was a prank since she wasn’t outside.”

“Hmmm.”

“Okay. You stay in the car and I will go inside.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so, buddy.
 
I just flew all this way to help my sister. I am not sitting in the car.”

“We don’t know what’s in there with her.”

“Well, it’s most likely a werewolf.
 
I think I have the best chance of negotiating with him, don’t you think?”

“Good point,” he said.

“Nice try,” she retorted.

They got out of the car at the same time and slowly crept closer to the house.
 
Devon noticed a tiny bit of blood in the grass. It smelled like Darby’s.

Devon knocked on the half open screen.
 
“Hello? Hello! Darby? Mr. Wolfe?”
 
He could smell the werewolf just on the other side of the doorway, but he also knew that if he came in defensively it could get very ugly, so he was willing to take one for the team, so to speak. He hesitantly started through the door only to be met with razor sharp claws that raked across his chest, and then he was thrown across the room, hitting his head hard on the wall.
 
Rowan ran in after him. A hand came at her with claws bloodied from Devon, but they stopped mid-air as he smelled her. He took a deep, full breath in, as if he were savoring the scent.
 
He dropped his hand and took a step back.”

“You must be the sister.”

“Umm, yes.
 
I guess. Is Darby here?”

He pointed to a back room where Darby lay bleeding on a very old bed. “Why did you bring another parasite?
 
What is it with you and your sister and these vampires?”

“I don’t know. Just crazy, I guess. Is she okay?”

“She is breathing, but she’s lost a lot of blood.
 
The police came, but I had brought her into the house and bandaged her up as best I could. They looked around a bit, but they didn’t come inside. They don’t like to deal with me so they were less than thorough. I didn’t reveal her presence because I didn’t want to get hauled off to jail and asked a bunch of questions I couldn’t answer.”

“The other vampire. He was here?”
 

“Yes.”

“Where is he now?”

“He left.”

“Why didn’t he take Darby with him?”

“Maybe he thought she was dead. I don’t know why vermin do what they do.
 
He’s probably off licking his wounds somewhere.”

“Can you help me get her to the car?”

“I’m not your slave.”

“I can see that, but you obviously didn’t want her to die or you would have just left her outside and not cleaned her up. So, now I can take her to the hospital, but I think it would be easier if you helped me since you threw my friend across the room.”

“Yeah, okay.” He took most of Darby’s weight and Rowan took her feet.
 
They got her to the backseat of the rental car and laid her down.
 

Rowan shut the door and said, “Thanks.”

“Your sister asked a lot of questions.. She obviously cares a lot about you. I’m sorry she got in the middle of things.”

“What do you mean in the middle of things?”