“Oh. Okay.”
Maxwell’s face flushed. “I’m Dr. Maxwell Green, and I have no idea what’s happening right now.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “We’re vampires, this is our house, no we won’t eat you, blah blah…”
Maxwell blushed even harder. “Then why didthatwoman abduct me and threaten me? She said if I didn’t help deliver a baby, I’d be sucked dry!”
But when Maxwell turned around to point at where Margaret should have been, she was gone.
My eyes darted around the room. Margaret was nowhere to be seen.
And neither was Lark.
My heart turned to lead and dropped to the pit of my stomach. Dread made me nauseated. “Lark?” I cried. “Where is she?”
Everybody looked around. Instantly the air turned cold. My blood froze. Desperation clawed to the surface and I yelled, “Where is my daughter?”
“Calm down,” Pierce said, voice firm. “Wewillfind her.”
I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to snap at him that Icouldn’tcalm down.
My daughter is missing, for god’s sake!
Theo, Caleb and Adriel had already rushed outside. When I tried crawling out of the bed to follow them, Maxwell said, “Hang on, Benji, it’s best if you don’t move too much.”
“I don’t care!” I snarled. “I need to find her!” When he tried to hold me back, I shoved him away and stormed to the door.
“There she is!” Theo’s voice came frantically from the hall.
“Margaret!” Adriel snarled, his voice echoing.
Caleb sobbed, “No!”
I didn’t know what was going on. My heart thumped painfully hard and fast. Despite my exhaustion and aches, I forced myself to catch up with them.
The image I saw almost made me pass out.
Margaret was hunched in the far corner of the hall, holding my baby up. Margaret’s long white fangs glinted in the shadows. Her eyes were wide and crazed, staring at Lark like she was her next meal.
Then she began to lower her fangs.
“NO!” I screamed.
A shadow blurred past me. The movement was so fast it caused a rush of air behind it, whipping in my face like wind. A high-pitched scream filled the air. More shadows rushed towards the scene until only Caleb, Maxwell and I remained where we stood, too frozen with fear and dread to move.
It took my human eyes a few heartbeats to realize what happened. Pierce, Adriel and Theo attacked Margaret. Theo backed off, holding Lark in his arms. He hissed fiercely. Meanwhile, Adriel grabbed Margaret from behind, his grip on her deadly tight. Pierce snarled in her face, the sound so horrible and malicious that I shuddered.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he snapped in a primal voice tinged by hatred.
“You don’t understand!” Margaret cried, half hissing and half sobbing. “I need her blood!”
“Why?” Adriel demanded furiously. He tightened his choking grip on her, digging his nails into her hard flesh.
She let out an angry wheeze. “The blood of the dhampir… It’s the only thing that will heal me.” Her eyes softened slightly as she gazed at Theo. “Won’t you help your mother, Theo? Please, bring her closer.”
“No!” Theo shouted. “Stay away from us!”
Theo backed up until he found me. I took Lark from his arms as I cried silently in fear. The others stood in front of me as a protective barrier.
