She couldn’t fathom what she was seeing. It was a mirage. She was lost in the desert desperate for a drink and imagining an oasis. Only the oasis was a rattlesnake ready to strike.
“No,” she whispered.
She was amazed that words were even possible when all she felt was despair. Not just that Brian was a vampire. A vampire she could handle. She could understand becoming a vampire. She’d thought about it enough herself. She was dating one. Hell, she’d been employed by them, kidnapped by them, lived with them, loved them. Vampire wasn’t the problem.
Starved. Newborn. Murderer.
The words obliterated all other thought. Her brother was a starved newborn vampire who had murdered all the people downstairs. If she and Beckham hadn’t reached him, he would have killed the rest. Killed the children.
Monster.
She’d accused Beckham of it before. But this…this was what an uncontrollable monster looked like. Killing without purpose, unable to be reasoned with, or stopped without force. This was the vampires of nightmares she’d always been taught. And now, it was her brother.
“Reyna!”
Her eyes finally lifted to Beckham’s. He must have said her name multiple times. She’d been adrift. Unable to process anything. Suddenly it all rushed back. She saw the people cowering in the corner and Beckham still working to restrain Brian and smelled all the blood.
“Call Gerard,” he snapped.
“Just don’t kill him.”
“Do it.”
Then Beckham smashed a fist into Brian’s face and half-carried, half-dragged him back down the stairs. Reyna watched them leave, her heart in her throat.
But she needed to listen to Beckham’s orders. They needed Gerard. She pulled out her phone and held her finger over the number three. He’d come get them just like Katarina and Philippé.
She slid the phone back in her pocket and then tried to channel Beckham’s calm. But it was gone. Completely out of reach. As if her own emotions still roaring in her ears kept her from feeling him. She couldn’t even sense him downstairs. All their hard work and in a time of crisis she felt nothing.
She tried to drown out the chaos. There were people here. People who needed her help. One foot in front of the other.
“Okay. Who’s in charge here?” Reyna asked. She stepped forward. No one moved from their positions. “All right. It’s okay. We’re going to get you out of here. We have a safe place for you to go to. Other survivors are there.”
Her phone buzzed. She checked her pocket and saw a text from Gerard letting her know he was out back.
“Okay. We need to get moving. The van is here to pick you up.” Reyna counted off the number of people and prayed the van would carry everyone. “It’s going to be a tight fit, so the children will have to sit on laps.” She gestured for them to move forward. “Please, cover the children’s eyes as much as you can. No oneshould have to see what we’re about to pass, but definitely not children.”
Each adult picked up at least one child in shaking arms and pressed their little heads into their shoulders. Reyna reached for the last little girl. The girl hugged onto Reyna when she scooped her up. Reyna rested her head on the girl’s as she carried her downstairs with the others. She hoped that none of them tried to sneak a peek. This wasn’t like seeing presents before Christmas. This was seeing death and destruction that would stay with you a lifetime.
They all hustled out of the house and into the frigid temperatures. Gerard was parked in back. Reyna hurried toward him and deposited the little girl into the backseat.
Reyna smiled sadly at her and then backed up as the rest of the survivors piled into the black van they’d selected from the garage for this very reason. One woman clasped her hand and murmured her thanks before getting inside.
Once the van was full to capacity, Reyna closed the sliding door and came around to the driver’s side. “You know where to take them?”
“Yes. Where’s the boss?”
“Dealing with another issue. Come back for us when you’re done. If we leave before then, I’ll text you.”
Gerard nodded once, taking orders from her as easily as he did from Beckham. Then he left her standing alone in the sludgy, brackish water. She swallowed back the lump in her throat and promised herself she wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t lose it. She still had to figure out what the hell they were going to do about this. How they were going to deal with Brian being turned.
Harrington had done this.
And he had done it to her.
Once again, he had outmaneuvered her.
She drew her hands down her face.
