Sweet Blood of Mine (45 page)

Dad emerged from his room, a stuffed backpack slung over his shoulders.

"You're coming with us?"

He shook his head. "I'm heading away from you.

Whatever happens, I won't let them take you."

"Let's go to Shelton first. Maybe he can remove the tracker."

"And if he can't, I'l be a sitting duck along with him and you."

"I'l protect you."

Dad chuckled wryly. "You have no idea how powerful my family is."

"I'l be there too," Elyssa said.

I looked at her like I'd just seen a miniature Elvis break-dancing on her head. "No way, babe. You're stil recovering from the vampling fight. You need to go home and rest up."

Fire danced in her violet eyes. "I'l do no such thing.

You just try and make me leave, Justin."

Yeah, right. She'd have me begging for mercy in two seconds if I tried to make her do anything. "Fine. We'l al go."

"But—" Dad said.

"I said
all
of us, Dad. I refuse to lose you again. Or maybe you forgot I almost kiled the girl I love to save you and nearly died in the process myself."

"I've forgotten nothing," he growled.

"Good." I puled out my cel phone and dialed Shelton.

Several rings later, he answered. "Damn, kiddo. Can't a guy get some shuteye around here?"

"Did you put a tracker on my dad?"

"Did you put a tracker on my dad?"

"Blunt and right to the point, eh? Sounds like you could use some sleep yourself."

"Shelton, I don't have time for your crap right now.

Tel me if you tagged him and if you can remove it."

The phone went silent for a moment. "No, I didn't tag him. As for disenchanting the tracker, I'd have to see it first."

"We have an emergency situation right now. Tel me how to get to you."

"Oh, no you don't. You're not coming to my place with a tracker."

I suppressed the urge to yel. "Where then?"

"Downtown, Centennial Olympic Park. It's a nice public place. When you get there, find a secluded spot and make a circle around your dad."

"Won't that imprison him?"

"No, you don't know how to make those kinds of circles. But this wil block him off from outside magic and cut off the tracker."

"Won't they already know we're in the park?"

"Not unless it's a clairvoyance tracker. Those leave a nice shiny trail even an idiot could folow. Most trackers give a sense of direction like a compass. You cut that off and they won't be able to find you."

"How do I tel what kind of tracker it is?"

"A clairvoyance tracker needs some serious juice, not to mention a whole lotta skil to pul off. I'l be able to tel what it is once I see him. Just remember—close him up in a circle the second you get there."

"Okay, we're headed out now."

Elyssa hiked up the black gym shorts I'd let her borrow since her clothing had been ripped and spattered with gore during Dad's rescue. She strapped a black knife sheath to each of her fair muscular thighs. Our swords had been lost somewhere, probably in the crypts where the vampires had imprisoned my dad, but subtlety was probably better since we needed to be out in public. She produced a piece of chalk from the filthy, bloody knapsack that stil reeked of rotted vamplings, the zombie-like remains of people who failed to turn into vampires. They'd almost kiled us while rescuing Dad. "You'l need this to draw a circle." She wrinkled her nose at the bag. "You have some Lysol?"

I grabbed a pink can from under the kitchen sink.

Tossed it to her. She doused the smal knapsack, fumigating the kitchen. I snagged my keys off the counter.

"Let's go."

I had my hand on the doorknob when a soft knock sounded upon it. Reflex almost had me open the door automaticaly. Instinct slapped me on the face and told me to check the peephole. I looked through it. Jade green eyes peered back. I puled back. Looked again. The green eyes belonged to Katie. Behind her, a black limousine puled to the curb. My heart skipped a few beats and sped up.

"Who is it?" Elyssa asked, drawing a silver knife from her thigh sheath.

My breath hitched as the limo driver got out. He was big and burly, sporting a black suit and wraparound shades.

Then he straightened up, al seven feet of him. He wasn't big and burly. He was monstrous.

Katie knocked on the door again. "Justin? Are you in there? I can hear someone talking."

"You've got to be kidding me." Elyssa growled. "Get rid of her."

"We've got bigger problems," I said.

And no time to solve them.

# # # #

MEET THE AUTHOR

John Corwin has been making stuff up al his life. As a child he would tel his sisters he was an alien clone of himself and would eat tree bark to prove it.

In middle school, John started writing for realz. He wrote short stories about Fargo McGronsky, a young boy with anger management issues whose dog, Noodles, had been hit by a car. The violent stories were met with loud acclaim from classmates and a great gnashing of teeth by his English teacher.

Years later, after colege and successful stints as a plastic food wrap repairman and a toe model for GQ, John once again decided to put his overactive imagination to paper for the world to share and became an author.

Connect with John Corwin online:

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/johnhcorwinauthor

Blog http://johncorwin.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/John_Corwin
Books by John Corwin:

Sweet Blood of Mine

No Darker Fate

The Next Thing I Knew

Outsourced

Seventh