The Fangs of Bloodhaven (5 page)

Donavan and Finch were already busy washing up, though the soap suds on the floor and their wet shirts said water fights had already ensued.

“You have more siblings?” Adrielle asked in amazement.

Everett nodded. “Sometimes they prefer to eat in the other room. Come on.” He took her down the hallway to the sunroom.

A smile spread across his face when he saw Bran and Annie. Celeste was busy feeding Bran a bite of their mother’s cooking. Both smiled back at the pair from their electric wheelchairs. Annie lifted her wrist in her special wave.

“Ha,” she said, saying hello with her voice lifted in the happiness it always contained.

Celeste nudged Annie. “See, I told you he brought a girl.” She winked at Adrielle. “Annie didn’t believe me.”

Bran let out a huff of laughter.

“I’ll bet Bran did,” Everett guessed, giving his older brother a hug.

The boy huffed again.

“Of course he did,” Celeste replied. “Bran thinks you’re a regular Casanova.” She set the spoon down she had been using to feed him and carefully wiped his chin.

“Bran, Annie, this is Adrielle,” Everett introduced them.

Annie waved again. Bran closed his eyes twice.

“That means hello,” Celeste explained. “He’s happy to meet you.”

Everett watched Adrielle, wondering how she would react. It wasn’t often they brought newcomers to meet their oldest siblings, but Everett knew it would mean a lot to Annie and Bran. His chest was tight in trepidation while he waited for the werewolf’s reaction.

“I’m happy to meet you, too,” Adrielle replied with a warm smile.

Everett couldn’t help smiling at her in gratitude. “Thank you,” he whispered.

She smiled back at him before giving both Bran and Annie a hug. “This is a beautiful room you have back here,” she said, looking up at the stars they could see through the glass ceiling.

“It’s Mom’s favorite,” Celeste explained. “She loves the moon.”

Adrielle raised her eyebrows at Everett.

He gestured toward the telescope in the corner. “She’s a selenographer.”

“She studies the surface of the moon?” Adrielle replied in surprise.

A smile spread across Annie and Celeste’s faces. Bran made a happy little sound.

“You know about selenography?” Celeste asked.

Adrielle gave a little shrug, embarrassment clear on her face. “I just have a fascination with the moon myself.”

Celeste nodded. “Both Mom and Dad feel the moon’s connection to the fallout dispersion and the lasting effects of the chemical warfare is deeper than anyone thinks. One of these days, I know they’re going to prove it.”

“I hope so,” Adrielle replied.

At Celeste’s questioning look, the werewolf explained, “I know the monsters affected by the chemicals would like to figure out why the moon impacts them. Maybe if we found out why, we could make a cure.”

All eyes shifted to Everett. He looked out the closest window at the darkness beyond and pretended not to notice.

“Rett, have you shown Adrielle Dad’s greenhouse?” Celeste asked.

Grateful for the distraction, Everett shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Don’t forget; you know Dad loves the chance to show it off,” Celeste pressed.

Everett met Adrielle’s questioning look. “Would you like to see it?” he offered.

Adrielle nodded. “I’d love to.” She smiled at Bran and Annie. “It was wonderful to meet you.”

Annie gave her little wave and Bran grinned at her.

“Thank you for being so kind,” Everett said quietly, leading the way back up the hallway. “I know all of this can be a bit overwhelming.” He turned near the kitchen and through the mudroom to the back door.

“They’re wonderful,” Adrielle replied. “They’re the ones who were being kind. I’m the stranger, remember?”

He pushed open the door and led the way to the greenhouse nestled in the corner where his father studied his bee hybrid creations. The greenhouse had cost a fortune because seeds and plants cultivated from the fallout were scarce. His father’s efforts to improve the quality of the resulting naturally-grown fruits and vegetables were priceless since only genetically manufactured produce was available in the markets.

Adrielle stepped inside with an expression of awe. “This is beautiful!”

“It’s my dad’s life work,” Everett explained. “There are vitamins in naturally grown plants they haven’t been able to duplicate in the biotech crops created after the Ending War. There are self-pollinating plants, but problems with hand-pollination for certain fruits and vegetables have caused them to die off dramatically.”

He fought back a smile at the fact that he was repeating things his father had told them over and over again. He thought he hadn’t been listening, but apparently it had still sunk in. “The problem is most bees died off in the fallout and those that survived are more susceptible to mites and diseases that also persisted and multiply in beehives. Dad’s hoping if he can produce a honey bee that is as strong as the wasp as far as fighting off diseases, he may make it possible for bee pollination again.”

“Interesting,” Adrielle said.

Everett laughed. “Now you really are just being nice.”

Adrielle shook her head and touched the leaf of a squash. “No, I’m not. Plants are important. Imagine a world without them. I can’t believe we almost lost them all. A few of my friends would be without a purpose.”

Unsure what she meant, Everett watched her in silence. She walked around the small greenhouse lit by red and orange hued bulbs. It gave her white-blonde hair a fiery glow.

“Good to see you both out here.” Mr. Masterson’s voice startled Everett.

Adrielle just smiled at him as if she knew he had come to the door. Everett realized that with her werewolf hearing, she probably had.

“This is a beautiful greenhouse,” she said.

“Yes, well, if our bees can continue to flourish, maybe we’re actually getting somewhere,” Everett’s father replied.

“I hope so,” Adrielle told him.

Everett could tell by her expression that she really meant it.

“At least someone is taking an interest in horticulture,” Mr. Masterson said, giving Everett a meaningful look.

Everett laughed. “Come on, Dad. I just don’t have a green thumb. Remember the tomato plant I managed to kill off in less than a week?”

“Just because you gave it so much water it was practically floating,” his father replied, adjusting his glasses with a smile.

“It looked thirsty,” Everett replied. He decided not to mention that it was perhaps his own thirst that had caused him to overwater the plant. He knew what it was like to be surrounded by so many sources to quench the need, but yet be unable to partake from any of it. He cleared his throat uncomfortably and turned to Adrielle. “I’ll walk you home.”

She shook her head. “That’s not necessary. I’m perfectly fine out there by myself, which you know.” She stressed the last words meaningfully.

Everett was aware of his father’s attention. “Just the same, a girl shouldn’t walk the streets alone.”

Adrielle glanced at Mr. Masterson and nodded. “Okay, thank you,” she finally accepted.

Chapter Four

The rhythmic pattern of their footsteps was all that broke the deep night. Everett searched the shadows they passed, feeling unexplainably protective over the werewolf at his side. She had already proven she could handle danger, but there was something else about her, a vulnerability he saw that made him willing to fight the world to make sure she made it back to her apartment in safety.

Maybe it was the way she smiled at Bran and gave Annie a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Perhaps it was the gratitude with which she accepted the little package of rolls and honey butter his mother gave her before they left. It could also have been the way Hadley clung to her on the porch, refusing to let her go. The little five year old was notoriously shy. Everett had never seen him warm up to anyone the way he had to the werewolf.

“Why did you invite me to dinner?” Adrielle asked, not looking at him.

“You heard my mom on the phone,” Everett replied evasively. “It was her, not me.”

Adrielle gave him a sideways glance. “Seriously, Everett. You and I both know you could have just left and not said a word, but you brought me to your home.” Her steps slowed.

Everett pushed his black hair out of his eyes. “Mom always makes more than enough to feed everyone and an army on the side.”

“Everett.”

The way she said his name made Everett look at her, really look at her. She had stopped walking and she watched him with her hands on her hips and her head tipped slightly to one side. He saw his reflection in her golden eyes. He was taller than her by a few inches, but somehow he felt smaller when she looked at him like that, as if she was trying to see what was inside instead of outside. The thought made him uneasy. He looked away.

“It was the paintings,” he admitted.

“What?” she asked.

“The paintings in your apartment.”

Her voice was quiet when she said, “What about them?”

Everett let out a slow breath. He thought of the faces. “Everyone was smiling and happy. The details you used showed how much you cared about each picture.” He hesitated to say the rest.

“And?” she asked.

He heard it in her voice. She knew what he was going to say. He braced himself and told her, “And yet you were always on the outside looking in. You weren’t a part of those scenes. You’re just a spectator.”

Adrielle turned and began to walk again. She didn’t storm away, but Everett could tell by the way her shoulders bowed that his guess had been accurate. The sound of her single footsteps tore at his heart. He hated himself for causing her pain.

“Elle, I’m sorry,” he said.

Her head raised and she looked back at him with a curious expression. “What did you call me?”

“Uh, Elle,” he replied with a bit of hesitation when he reached her.

A little half-smile lifted one corner of her mouth. “I like that. I’ve never had a nickname before.”

He chuckled. “It’s better than Evy.”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I think that’s kind-of cute.” Her cheeks turned red and she looked away.

They started walking again. After a few minutes, Adrielle asked, “What happened to Annie and Bran?”

Everett glanced down a dark alley. “They were born with genetic defects. It’s in my mom and dad’s genes. That’s why the rest of us are adopted.”

“All of you?” Adrielle asked in surprise.

Everett nodded. “Mom always knew she wanted more kids, but when Annie and Bran both had the same condition, they were told it wouldn’t be safe to have any more children of their own, so they decided to adopt.”

“So that’s why you’re a vampire and the others aren’t,” Adrielle said.

Everett glanced at her. “Vampirism surfaces when puberty hits. My teeth came in the same time that I got really sick. There aren’t many vampires out there.” He fell silent for a few steps, then said, “When they realized what I was, they could have given me back. In the research I’ve done, I found out most vampire children are discovered after being adopted. They’re given back to the government, and they aren’t heard from again.”

“Ever?” Adrielle asked, appalled.

Everett shook his head. “Vampires are becoming very scarce. Mom and Dad probably saved my life by keeping me around.”

“They seem to be very caring people,” Adrielle replied.

Everett had to agree. “I don’t imagine most parents would be too thrilled to find out their adopted child needs blood to survive. Monsters generally don’t come from happy families.”

Adrielle nodded but didn’t say anything.

Everett searched for a change of subject. “So you liked my brothers and sisters?”

“I like all of them,” Adrielle replied. “They’re wonderful. I love Annie’s smile, and I knew Bran was laughing. Celeste was so sweet about my hair.” She paused and looked at Everett. “Hey.”

“Hey, what?” Everett asked with a smile at her tone.

“I figured it out,” she said. Her eyes creased with her smile. “Annie and Bran are the oldest, followed by Celeste, then I’m guessing Donavan?”

Everett laughed. “Yeah, you got it. Then me, Finch, Gabe, Hadley...”

“And Izzy,” Adrielle finished with a grin. “Your parents named you in alphabetical order.”

“The best way to keep track of us,” Everett told her. “We always tease Mom that the next kid they adopt will have to be named Jack or Jill.”

Adrielle laughed. “Or Jadwiga.”

“You made that up,” Everett accused.

She shook her head. “I didn’t, really! I knew someone with that name.”

Everett grinned. “I’ll have to tell Mom she’s got another option.”

Adrielle kicked a partially crushed tin can. It went skittering down the mouth of the tunnel. She hesitated at the entrance.

“It’s alright,” Everett told her. “We’ll be fine, I promise.”

She looked up at him, her gaze touched with an emotion he didn’t recognize. “How can you be so sure?”

Everett shrugged. “I can be pretty scary if I have to be. Nobody will mess with you.”

Adrielle gave him a small smile. “You weren’t so scary outside Dalia’s diner.”

Everett grimaced. “Don’t remind me. That was embarrassing.”

Surprise touched her eyes. “Embarrassing? You tried to save me.”

“By passing out,” Everett replied dryly. “Not exactly knight in shining armor material.”

Adrielle laughed, then covered her mouth with her hand as if surprised it had come out. When she took her hand away, her smile refused to leave. “You, Everett Masterson, are very different than I first thought.”

“Is that a good thing?”

Adrielle nodded, her expression growing serious. “When you were just a vampire, it was easy to be afraid of you.”

“And now?” Everett asked, catching her tone.

She gave him a searching look. “I’m still figuring you out.”

“Fair enough,” he replied. He gestured toward the tunnel. “We’d better get going. Monsters come out after curfew, you know.”

At her continued hesitation, he held out his hand. “Come on, Wolfie Elle. I’ll get you home safely.”

She slipped her hand into his. Warmth ran up his arm. Everett led the way into the darkness. He searched the shadows, but couldn’t help being completely aware of the girl who held his hand.

Vampirism didn’t exactly make a boy date material. At fourteen, Everett had never even gone steady with a girl. Now he was walking through the tunnels of Nectaris holding one’s hand. He didn’t know whether he was blessed or insane. Either way, the fact that she trusted him made him feel like he was floating. The grime and garbage that cluttered the tunnels no longer appeared as disgusting. He even caught himself smiling when a rat scurried by.

He caught Adrielle’s tight expression.

“It’s rather homey,” he said.

A reluctant smile touched her lips. “It’s not at all. I don’t know how anyone ever lived here.”

“Me, either,” Everett admitted. He nudged a dark pile with the toe of his sneaker. An audible squish sounded. “It must have been really bad to drive everyone underground.”

“I guess they didn’t have a choice,” Adrielle replied. “At least down here, most of them could avoid the fallout.” She glanced at him. “There would have been a lot more monsters otherwise.”

“I wonder if it would have been easier that way.”

Adrielle’s gaze caught in an emergency light that flickered overhead. “You mean if there were more of us?”

Everett nodded. “If we were the norm instead of the freaks, maybe people wouldn’t hold it against us so much.”

“Would you wish this on others?” Adrielle asked softly.

Everett fell quiet, thinking about her words. When he was first diagnosed, he hated the way people treated him. Instead of being just another Masterson kid, he was The Vampire, The Freak, The Bloodsucker. Thankfully, time and his ability to blend in and not ruffle feathers helped people forget how different he was. Yet there were times when the things that set him apart were more than apparent, like not being able to save Adrielle because his organs had used up all his blood, or being feared by people in their neighborhood and seeing the fear in their eyes.

Or the way he craved blood every moment of every day. He was afraid his self-control wouldn’t be enough to protect those around him. He feared the day he wouldn’t be able to turn away from the lifeblood coursing through the bodies of those he passed on the street or bumped into in stores or the mall. He truly was a monster.

“No,” he admitted, glaring into the darkness ahead of them. “I wouldn’t, ever.”

Adrielle’s head lifted at the vehemence in his voice.

Everett pushed on ahead, afraid of her questions or that she would think less of him if she knew the truth. He ran his tongue over his sharp teeth. He could feel the hollow points where the blood would run if he ever bit someone. He wished he could file them down. A memory surfaced at the thought.

Everett saw his thirteen-year-old self bent over the sink in the bathroom. He held one of his father’s metal files in one hand and a pair of wire cutters in the other. No matter how hard he tried, the teeth refused to break or file away.

“Everett?”

Tears streamed down his cheeks when he turned to face his mom. She looked at the tools in his hands and tears filled her eyes as well.

“Oh, Everett,” she said. She wrapped him in a hug, holding him tight like she used to do when he was little and scraped his knees. “Baby, please don’t hurt yourself.”

“I hate what I am, Mom,” Everett replied with a sob. “The other kids are afraid of me, and I’m scared of myself.”

She patted his back. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re our Everett; you always will be.”

He shook his head. “I’m different, Mom. I feel it inside. I want to bite people. I-I need to.” His hands shook.

His mother stepped back. She gently took the tools from him and set them on the bathroom counter. “Everett, listen to me,” she said, her voice quiet but stern. “You are a caring, kind boy with a heart bigger than anyone I know. You can control this. I believe it.”

Everett closed his eyes tight. “But it’s so hard.”

Her hands rested on his shoulders. He knew if he opened his eyes he would see the loving blue gaze that had believed in him ever since he was little and said he wanted to fly. He kept his eyes closed.

“Everett, can you do something for me?” she asked gently. When he couldn’t bring himself to answer, she kissed his forehead. “Everett, please look at me.”

He forced his eyes open and met her gaze guardedly.

The smile she gave him was filled with warmth despite his admission that he wanted to suck the other students’ blood. Her expression hadn’t lost its love when the doctor told them he was a vampire, and it contained the same love at that moment when he felt like he deserved the names the other kids called him.

“Whenever you find yourself losing control, can you promise me you’ll do one thing?” she asked.

“What?” Everett replied, his voice small.

She pushed his black hair out of his eyes. “Repeat the names of your siblings.”

“My siblings?”

She nodded. “If you feel yourself losing control, say Annie, Bran, Celeste, Donavan, Finch, Gabe, Hadley, and Izzy. Can you do that for me?”

“Why?” Everett asked, confused.

His mother smiled. “Because along with me and Dad, those are the people who believe in you and know that you’re just another Masterson kid.” She winked at him. “We’re a crazy bunch, but we’re family, and we’re there for each other. So can you do that for me?”

Everett nodded. “I will, Mom. I promise.”

A shoulder bumped his, bringing him back to the present. He found Adrielle watching him with a quizzical look, her head tipped to one side canine-like.

“Where were you?” she asked.

Everett realized he was standing at the exit of the tunnel. He wondered how long he had been there. “Uh, sorry. I was just remembering something.”

“I thought maybe you were afraid of the moonlight,” Adrielle teased.