Adriel’s lips tightened. “She usually doesn’t take this long. I wonder if something went awry.”
“Maybe I should go back and look for her,” I suggested.
But as I turned around, Margaret staggered out of the back door. A chill went down my spine. Blood leaked from the corners of her mouth, and trailed down her wrists. My eyes widened in shock. She wasn’t usually a messy eater - none of us were. It was crude and bizarre to see her this way.
“Mother,” Adriel said with a gasp as she crawled into the passenger seat. He quickly handed her a cloth napkin. “What happened?”
Margaret scowled and wiped the blood off, staining the white fabric. “I was hungry, okay?” she snapped. “Why aren’t you driving?”
“I was waiting for you,” Adriel replied. “Mother, you seem unwell. Is everything all right?”
“No!” she snarled. “I’m dying, you fools! I’ve been sick for ages and nothing I do is helping! I just killed five humans and Istillfeel hungry!”
The chill from earlier returned, making me intensely uncomfortable. One human was more than enough for even a hungry vampire - five was overkill. A slaughter.
“Five humans?” Theo asked in a small, scared voice. “That’s a lot.”
Margaret whipped around to face him, baring her pointed canine teeth in a snarl. Theo yelped and leaned back in fear.
“Mother!” I snapped.
She glared at me now. Her pupils were slits and her claws dug into the leather seat. I held her gaze firmly, hoping to calm her down before she made this tense situation any worse.
“Please get a hold of yourself,” I said slowly. “Theo and the rest of us are not your enemies. We only want to help you.”
The fury in her face faded. She returned to her seat properly without another word. Tension hung in the air, taut as a string. None of us spoke on the drive home.
Something was very wrong with our mother, and I had no idea how to help her.
15
Benji
The empty mansion was dead silent except for the distant rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the dining hall, my own footsteps creaking against the old floorboards, and the occasional quiet chittering of bats.
I pushed the door to Adriel’s library open. I’d passed it often, but this was my first time inside. A sense of awe fell upon me as I saw the massive amounts of books lining the walls. In the center of the room stood a large wood desk and a simple laptop with a few notes strewn beside it.
This must double as Adriel’s office,I thought.
There were definitely more books here than in any public library. Then again, I realized that Adrieldidhave centuries to grow his collection.
I started towards the shelves, but my curiosity got the best of me. I peered at Adriel’s notes.
It’s all stuff about vampires… Wait a second.
I picked up the papers, narrowing my eyes. At first I thought maybe it was a scientific vampire study, or some kind of biography, but judging by the dialogue and prose it was definitely the draft of a novel.
Adriel’s a novelist? Who would have thunk it.
But that wasn’t all. With a sharp gasp, I recognized the title at the top of the paper.
Abyss Blood Saga: Book 4, First Draft.
My eyes widened. “Holy crap.”
It dawned on me. Adriel was the author of the vampire novels Caleb loved so much. I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. I thought about how much Caleb would get a kick out of this if he ever found out.
Maybe it doesn’t have to be a secret forever,I thought hopefully.He loves vampires, and I don’t think he would tell anyone about Pierce’s family’s secret.
