Virgins and Vampires: Blood Falls (The Blood Falls Book 3)

We took the Jeep down to the house by the creek. Dad had a whole workbench setup in the living room with tools and supplies. When we arrived he was busy stoking the fire while my mother placed family photographs on the mantel.

“Oh there you are!” She rushed me and I nearly fell over from the force of her hug. “I know you’re fine. I know. But I needed to feel you for myself.”

Dad pulled me out of her arms and crushed me in one of his bear hugs. “I’ll kill him.”

“Shoshanna told you?”

“I’ve wanted to murder Rhine since the day he claimed a right to the Head of House.” He pulled back and looked down at me. “I should have done it then.”

“We don’t murder over disagreements,” Mother whispered.

Dad glared at her. “This isn’t a disagreement. He wanted our daughter. No, he wants our daughter.” He stepped around me, pulling himself up to his full height. “If you hadn’t stood in my way all those years ago we might still be married and our daughter wouldn’t be in danger. You chose peace over your family and look what it got you.”

I had never, ever seen my father so angry. His eyes flashed like lightning and he shook like thunder.

“I did choose my family!” she shot back. “That was the whole point!”

Dad roared. “You chose the House over us. Not the same thing!”

I scrambled back against Kris. Not even the attackers scared me this badly.

“I know!” Mom screamed back. “I know that now! Don’t you think I know!” She threw herself at me again, sobbing into my chest. “I would do anything to go back and change things. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

I held my mother, trying to soothe her while I stared at my dad. He heaved and then shuddered, crying too. What the hell is happening?

Kris stepped around me to give Dad a hug. They thumped each other’s backs and exchanged words I couldn’t hear. Then Dad pulled me away from Mom and hugged me hard.

“I didn’t protect you then, but I sure as hell will now. Please forgive me.”

I patted his back, bewildered. “Dad…there’s nothing to forgive. It is what it is.”

“I knew,” he insisted. “I felt it in my bones. I’ve regretted it every day since.”

I glanced around my dad’s large bicep and found Kris holding my mother. Not in a million years did I think anything like this would happen. Then things took an even stranger turn when Dad suddenly let me go and took Mom into his arms. They cried and murmured things I tried very hard not to hear. So I was grateful when Kris took my elbow and quietly led me out onto the porch.

He ran his hand through his hair. “So that explains some things.”

I let out a long, hard burst of air into the wintry night. “That was…that was…whoa.” Mom stopped Dad from killing Rhine, which probably seemed totally reasonable back then. Murder was a big deal. But then it created this poisoned rift between them that ended their marriage and became so toxic they couldn’t even be in the same room together.

And now Rhine was back. “Are my parents getting back together?”

Kris leaned back to look through the old window. “I…think so.”

“I’m so confused.”

“Yeah,” he shuffled over to me, “they’re going to be a minute. Or ten.” He took my hand. “So what does your dream front porch look like, princess? A swing? Rocking chairs?”

He was trying to distract me and I loved him for it. “Can it be bigger than this one?”

“Of course. As big as you like. I was personally thinking a wraparound might be nice.”

A vision of kids’ toys scattered over wooden boards between rocking chairs and plants flashed through my mind. “Yeah, a wraparound sounds nice. That way we don’t have to choose. Rocking chair and a swing.”

He wrapped me up in a hug. “Sounds like a plan.”

I wondered if this would be our last quiet moment thinking of a future together. The real future looked turbulent at best. I didn’t want to think about anything worse.

“There won’t be much time.”

Kris stiffened. “For what?”

“When we drop the block. It will have to be right before we go.”

“The bond will be there.”

Of course he knew what worried me most. “We’ve never done this before.”

“Don’t need to. The connection we share—blocked or dead or alive—is too strong. I know we’ll be fine.”

I took a slow, deep breath of cold air and let it out with a sigh. “I’m scared.” I didn’t want to be but…I was. And trying to be brave in front of Kris was pointless.

“You’d be a fool not to be.” He cupped my face in his cold hands. “Nothing will happen to you. I am your Shield and I will protect you with my life.” His eyes darted between mine so full of love it made my heart ache. “We’ve only just begun, Rain. I won’t lose a moment with you, I swear to that. I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you.”

I slipped my hands around his wrists. “I know. I feel it.”

“Good.” He kissed me. It turned deep fast. Desperate. His arms held me so tight. My fingers dug into his skin, trying and failing to meld us together. “You feel that?” he croaked, pressing his forehead to mine. “That’s just you and me. Fuck anyone who gets in our way with our gifts intact. They’re fucking dead.”

Dad cleared his throat. “Uh, sorry about that. We’re ready when you are. Take your time.”

I laughed and Kris pulled me against his chest, sighing. “Well, at least we don’t have to burn a perfectly good bed.”

Inside, Mom and Dad stood shoulder to shoulder. Mom had a bag in her hands. “I—I wanted to give you something.” She stepped forward, pulling a gorgeous silver dagger out. It had delicate scrollwork over the handle. “This has been in our family for generations. I thought it might be useful.”

It was every bit as beautiful as Intrepid, our House sword. I showed the blade to Kris. “Ancient?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

Possibly very, very useful then. “Thank you.”

“Also this.” She produced a very delicate, shimmering, silver-white chainmail. It looked light as a feather though. “It’s meant to be worn like a, like a blouse? To help protect you.” She sighed. “I know so little of these things. But that’s what my grandmother said when she gave it to me.”

I took it, and sure enough, it weighed almost nothing. “It’s gorgeous.”

She stared at it. “I always thought so too. How strange something meant for battle could be beautiful.”

I didn’t point out that all the ancient armor was beautiful. My mother had been through an emotional rollercoaster and pointing out useless facts wouldn’t help anyone.

“I hate to ask this.” I really hated to ask. “Is it possible Aunt Matylda would have any insight into what we might expect from Rhine?”

My mother’s face fell. “He changed. It felt like in an instant. One minute he was Rhine and the next…a twisted stranger. But maybe we didn’t see the signs? I’ll ask her.”

That was more than I hoped for. “We should go. Since we have to travel by Jeep it takes us a bit to get back.” I hugged my mother, who didn’t want to let me go. So I let her hold me for a few seconds longer.

Then Dad pulled me away. “I’ll meet you up at the house after I get your mother settled.”

“You’re really coming?”

He scoffed, then walked over to the fireplace. He picked up a large, heavy, gleaming battleaxe. “No one comes for my daughter and lives to tell the tale.”

It was moments until midnight and the barn was full. I expected fifty, maybe sixty, but we had closer to seventy-five. The odds weren’t so bad after all.

That gave me a boost of confidence that I desperately needed. Until Shoshanna started giving out assignments. Assignments that didn’t include me.

I raised my hand and took a step closer. “Uh, what about me?”

She shot me a look. “You’re not going anywhere near this compound or Rhine.”

“The hell I’m not. I’m the most powerful weapon you have.”

“And exactly what they want. You’ll stay here. Stay blocked.”

Kris didn’t like that either. “We’re not hiding.”

“I’m not asking you to hide,” Shoshanna said. “I’m telling you to stay out of the way.”

“No. No…” Ryddyck, the male somehow connected to Gigi and the other Plane stepped forward. As usual he spoke with his hands as much as his words. “She is tied to the moment. If we go without her the moment will be gone. And we will all die.”

“What moment?” Shoshanna shook her head.

“The moment,” he repeated, staring at her as if he made all the sense in the world.

Gigi stepped forward. “You know he never makes sense but he is always right and in the end his riddles don’t sound so confusing anymore.”

Shoshanna laughed. “So I’m just supposed to take advice from a madman?”

Ryddyck frowned. “I’m not mad. I’m not from here. And I’m right, even if you can’t see it all.” His fingers moved through the air.

I held my breath. She is tied to the moment. What fresh hell awaited me now? “Ryddyck?”

He turned to me with his funny blink-twitch and smiled. “Yes?”

“Anything else you might be able to share?”

His head cocked the other way. Blink-twitch. “None of this was Destined, but was set in motion anyway. And once set in motion the Timeline was black because Destiny was rewritten. Now the words are there and the Timeline stretches to the new Destiny that was not supposed to come. So now the moment must happen or all hope is lost.” He blink-twitched again. “And we all die.”

Well, that was a mouthful of confusing riddles.

It was my dad of all people who stepped forward. “It seems pretty clear to me that my daughter belongs with us. Don’t fight me again, Shoshanna. You won’t win.”

Dad was well past pissed off and ready to fight with anyone, even Shoshanna. She glared at him.

I turned to face the crowd. “I’m not staying behind while you all fight for me.” I made sure to look each and every one in the eyes so they could see how serious I was. I landed on my love last. As our gazes locked I felt more confident than ever. I didn’t need my gift or a bond to feel his love and power flowing into me. “They want me. I would hate to disappoint them.”

The crowd erupted in a cheer and that was that. Shoshanna was outvoted by everyone. The clock struck midnight and the shifters partnered up with the non-shifters to storm the Rhine-led House. I took Kris’s hand.

“You ready?” He drew his sword.

I palmed my dagger. “Yes.” Our gazes locked and together we brought down the block. I gasped as my gifts were suddenly there again. Like sticking my finger in a light socket. But then our bond connected and it all turned up a notch. I might as well have been struck by lightning.

“Told you.” He winked, but it was only to hide the stress. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Let’s do this.”

He pressed his forehead to mine. “Stronger together.” And then we were there.