Vampires Rule (31 page)

No wonder she had given in so easily on being
left behind. She’d had her own plan. She was going to get herself
killed while trying to do something nice for him. The werewolf
janitor had almost killed her once before. She couldn’t have
developed her power enough to win in such a short time. It hadn’t
even been a full week since the attack.

Jersey would have to wait.

Jack had a difficult time getting the car
back on the dirt road. It got stuck a couple times. Swearing
beneath his breath, he hit the accelerator hard and twisted the
steering wheel. He would get out and push if he had to. The tires
finally caught a strong piece of soil and he shot off like a
well-aimed bullet.

Within five minutes he was on the highway. He
tried to calculate how far they could be ahead of him. After he
left the house, they’d probably followed before the dust could
settle. He also had to factor in the time spent in Billy’s memory.
Of course it had taken a while to get on the road again too. All
things considered, he didn’t see how they could be that far ahead
of him. Hopefully, he would catch them before they met with the
janitor.

Jack slapped a hand against the steering
wheel. What was she thinking? And what about Billy? Had he lost his
mind? Jack didn’t know which of them he wanted to strangle
first.

When he reached the field, he caught sight of
Silver through the dirty windshield. She and the janitor were
locked in a silent battle. They stood frozen, eyes connected as she
tried to suck his soul out. Billy was on the sidelines, rifle in
hand. Jack didn’t even bother to turn off the car’s engine. He
jumped out and ran to Billy.

His eyes were on Silver the whole time. Her
body was shaking like a tiny leaf in the midst of a hurricane. She
was losing the battle. The werewolf janitor was trying something
none of them suspected he could be capable of; he was trying to
suck her soul out—and by the terrified look in her eyes, Jack
suspected it was working.

“She’s losing,” Jack said, talking to himself
more than to his brother.

“She’s fine,” Billy said, but his voice
didn’t have a trace of confidence.

“No, she isn’t!”

Jack charged the battling couple. He tackled
Silver, breaking the eye contact between the two. She grunted as
she hit the ground. Jack kept her body covered, fearing instant
retribution, but nothing happened. He looked up to see Billy
fighting the thing.

Now his brother was in danger.

Silver looked up, eyes widened in fear. There
was a bleeding cut on her cheek, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“You have to help Billy!” she shouted.

The stone had fallen from his pocket. It was
on the ground near Silver’s arm. She grabbed it and tossed it in
the air. Jack caught it.

“Use it,” Silver yelled.

“But…”

“It’s going to kill Billy! Hurry!” She shook
her head, tears in her eyes. She sobbed, “This is my fault. Don’t
let him die because of me.”

Billy was flat on his back with the lunatic
janitor on top of him. The werewolf wasn’t trying to scratch him
because that could lead to him being infected. It didn’t want to
create another werewolf. Its hands were around Billy’s throat. The
werewolf wanted him dead.

Jack ran to the struggling pair. He intended
to slap the stone against the werewolf’s head before it could guess
his intentions, but the ugly janitor was smarter than he looked. He
swung an arm, hit Jack on the wrist, and sent the stone flying.
Jack’s eyes lost it in the bright sunlight.

The werewolf returned to choking Billy. It
didn’t seem concerned with Jack or Silver at the moment. Jack’s
eyes went to the grass where the stone had landed. If he used
vampire speed, he might be able to find it in time. He looked to
Silver. She was on her feet, her expression set. She was going to
attack the janitor again. This time she might not be so lucky.

Jack kicked the beast in the shoulder,
knocking it off his brother.

The werewolf jumped to his feet. His glowing
eyes pinned Jack. It growled.

Jack snarled back.

The werewolf janitor lunged at the same time
as Jack. They clashed in the air, landed hard on the ground. A
vicious fight ensued. The janitor ripped at Jack with invisible
claws, but it missed ever time. Jack’s fangs pushed through the
gums. His powers returned in a rush.

Surprised, the werewolf lost his
concentration.

Jack swung his hand. Metallic claws reflected
the sunlight. The claws caught the werewolf on his arm just below
the shoulder and ripped through his shirt, cutting him deep.

The werewolf janitor stumbled away. It gazed
down at the wound in wonder. It touched the torn shirt. A strange
sound emanated from its throat. It began to tremble from head to
toe. The thing went to its knees in front of Jack.

Billy appeared at Jack’s side, sword in hand.
“You killed my family. Now you can go to hell.”

He swung the long blade, cleanly removing the
werewolf’s head. It rolled several yards, but it stopped before the
body fell forward and hit the ground. Finally the murderer was
dead. In seconds it turned to a pile of ashes.

Silver came up behind Jack. He lifted his
arm, invited her to step closer. His arm went around her, holding
her close.

“It’s over.” Billy smiled.

“I didn’t have to use the rock,” Jack said,
pleased with himself. “We can still use it on Jersey.”

Silver shook her head. “No, please. Not yet.
I think I’ve had enough hunting for a while. Too much excitement is
bad for the heart.”

Jack squeezed her. “If Jersey comes after us,
we won’t have a choice. Anyway, what were the two of you thinking?”
He glared at his brother. “You almost got her killed, idiot.”

Silver said, “You gave up your revenge for
me. You were going to kill the head werewolf and give me my life
back. I wanted to do something for you. I thought if I could kill
him before you got to Jersey, we would both have what we want
most.”

“It was my fault too,” Billy said. “You can’t
take all the blame. I wanted revenge just as much as Jack.”

“But it was my idea,” she said.

“Enough.” Jack held his hands up. “It doesn’t
matter who did what. It’s done now. I’m just glad everyone is okay.
You are okay, aren’t you?”

His eyes went to Silver first, followed by
his brother. They both nodded. Billy rubbed his sore throat. The
pile of ashes began to blow away as a gentle breeze passed over the
field. Jack watched it with delight. His parents had died at the
hands of the psychotic werewolf, and now it was dead. Revenge
really was sweet.

Silver walked over the grass, her gaze
lowered. She found the stone almost immediately. With a smile, she
picked it up and showed it to Jack. “Got it.”

She gave it to him, and he slid it into his
pocket. He didn’t even want to think about using it on Jersey. That
was going to a tough situation. He certainly wasn’t looking forward
to returning to school. What if Jersey continued to teach English
class? Could they be in the same room with each other after
everything and not try to kill each other?

“We did it,” Billy said. His smile widened,
and he put an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Thanks for saving my
butt back there.”

“No problem, bro.”

“I guess you’re going to turn out to be a
good hunter after all.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.” Jack put one arm around
Billy and the other around Silver. He brought them close. They were
his family now, and he no longer missed his vampire clan. “Let’s go
home and celebrate.”

They laughed as they walked to the car.

Three weeks passed without a sign of Jersey
anywhere. Jack was both anxious and relieved by his former
teacher’s disappearance. He’d received a special surprise in the
mail from the man: a deed to his property. Jersey had given him his
fake house and the beautiful mansion beneath. Jack had no idea what
he was going to do with it yet, but he appreciated the gesture.

Jack sat at Jersey’s desk, and Silver perched
on the edge. It was almost like they were replaying a scene from
Jersey’s past with Pagan. It was somehow comforting to Jack. He
leaned back in Jersey’s chair, allowing his gaze to drift around
the room. It didn’t look like Jersey had taken anything with
him.

“What are you going to do with this place?”
Silver asked.

Jack sighed. He’d given it a great deal of
thought since finding out he owned it. With a shrug, he said, “I
have no idea. Maybe we should use it as a sort of headquarters for
hunters.”

“That’d be great. The werewolves and vampires
won’t be able to find out what we’re up to if we’re in hiding. I
love it.”

“Its way better than the secret room my
parents had.”

“What’s that?” Silver walked to the
fireplace. She pulled an envelope that had been hiding behind a
book with one edge sticking out. “It has your name on it.”

Silver handed it to him. Jersey’s fluid
handwriting traveled across the middle of the envelope. Jack’s
breath caught in his throat. He opened the envelope with trembling
fingers and pulled a folded piece of paper out, hoping it wasn’t
bad news. He was disappointed to find nothing written on it. Why
would Jersey give him a plain piece of paper?

Jack lifted it for Silver’s inspection.
“Maybe he was in a hurry.”

“I have an idea.” Silver came around the
desk. She smiled at him before placing her hand on top of his. The
familiar electric current shot through him, announcing the
beginning of a new journey.

****

Jack glanced around with a frown. They hadn’t
gone anywhere. They were still in the study. For a moment he
thought it hadn’t worked, but then his eyes traveled the room.
Jersey Clifford stood on the opposite side of the desk, a smug
smile on his face. Silver gasped, spotting him at the same time.
Jack squeezed her hand, reassuring her without words.

“Welcome,” Jersey said. “I wanted a chance to
say good-bye to you, Jack, but I didn’t want to tempt the fates.
One of us might have felt compelled to kill the other before the
appointed time.”

Jersey moved to the center of the room. He
spread his hands and slowly turned. “Well, what do you think of
your new home? I hope you enjoy it. The thought of it sitting
empty, no one to appreciate it, sank my heart. Of course by now you
have realized I am gone for good.” He scowled. “I will try to hold
building my army off for as long as I can, because I do not wish to
destroy you, but someday…someday I will have no choice. We will
battle to the death. Yours, I’m afraid.”

Jersey went to the shelf and pulled a
hardcover book from the stack. “In my fit of anger I trashed
several of my favorites, but this one I saved. I would like for you
to read it please. Someday I hope to discuss it with you in depth.
I’d like to hear your take on it. My fondest wish is for us to have
a conversation like the ones I so enjoyed having with you
before.”

Jack looked to the shelf. He saw the book
Jersey wanted him to read. The vision of Jersey and the book filled
the empty place in his heart. He’d had a void since Jersey and
Cowboy had blown town. With neither of them around, life seemed to
lose some of its spice.

Jersey lifted his hand in a slight wave. “I
feel kind of stupid talking to myself, but I know you’ll see this.
I am sorry beyond belief our time was cut short. We’ve lost
countless opportunities to share our views. Good-bye for now, my
friend, my enemy. I will greatly miss you. Perhaps even more than I
miss Pagan in some ways. Allow me to leave you with one last
quote.”

“Sudden and swift and light as that the ties
gave, and he learned of finalities besides the grave.”

And then he was gone.

****

“What was that?” Silver looked up at Jack.
“What did it mean?”

“It was a poem by Robert Frost, Jersey’s way
of saying good-bye.”

“Okay. That was kind of creepy.”

Jack crossed the room to the book shelf and
picked up the volume Jersey had wanted him to read. It was one of
his favorites, one of Lily’s favorites. Jack opened it. Jersey had
written a little note on the inside.
We all have a destiny,
known or unknown. Our choice is to run from it or embrace it.
Choose well.

“You really liked him, didn’t you?” Silver’s
expression was one of total disbelief. “After everything he did,
you
still
like him.”

How could he explain it to her? “He reminded
me of my father. Not in a bad way. My father kept his emotions in
check. He gave new meaning to calm, cool, and collected. Then there
was the way I felt when talking to Jersey. He had all this wisdom
to impart, and he did it eagerly. Having him around was almost like
having my father back.”

Silver walked over to him and slid into his
arms. The side of her face pressed against his chest. She mumbled
against his shirt. “I’m sorry you had to lose him. My parents are
searching for Jersey via computer and contacts, but they probably
won’t be able to find him for a long time. Maybe by the time they
do, I’ll be able to suck his soul out, and you won’t have to kill
him.”

It was a horrible thing to wish for, but Jack
found himself doing just that. He wasn’t sure if he had the
strength to face Jersey on a battlefield. No matter what awful
things Jersey had done, Jack feared he would always love the man.
At least the parts that reminded him of the father he’d lost.

Would it be better for Jersey to have his
soul sucked out or to be touched by the rock?

“What do you think happens to the souls you
suck out? Are they lost forever?”

“No. Didn’t you read that part in the
diary?”

“I guess I missed it.”

“Lovely says they travel on, heaven or hell,
wherever they were meant to be.”