Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Dani and Shawn came back the next day, loaded down with food and books.  "What did we miss?"  Shawn struggled with an armful of bags.

"Not much, really."  I grabbed some of the bags and took them to the kitchen.  "I spent some time on the treadmill, lifted weights and ate almost everything left in the kitchen."

"Nice!"  He high fived me.

Dani handed me my duffel bag.  "I put a bunch of clothes and your school books in here.  It's pretty heavy."

"It's okay."  I took it with ease.  "I'm still on my Super Woman kick.  I spent quite a while in the gym yesterday."

Dani laughed, and followed me upstairs.  "I put your phone charger in there. I know you want to call your parents."

"Yah," I sighed.  "I'd better do that."  I pulled out the charger and plugged my phone in.

I unpacked the rest of my stuff and threw my books on the bed.

"So," Dani cleared her throat.  "I saw Anya."

I looked up sharply.  "What did she say?"

"She asked when your funeral was.  I told her that you were hurt really bad and had to have surgery.  She seemed upset that you weren't dead, but I think she bought it."

I rolled my eyes, feeling the angry burning flow through my body.  "I'm so not done with that bitch.  I owe her the ass whooping of a life time.  I wish I could see her right now, while I'm all super powered."

Dani sighed.  "I know.  We'll figure out how to handle her."

"Handle who?"  Dustin walked into the room.

"Anya," Dani replied.  "I saw her yesterday, and told her that Katie wasn't dead, but that she had major surgery.  I'm pretty sure she believed me."

Dustin's eyes flashed, angrily.  "We need to figure out what to do about her when we get back.  You know she won't stop until she gets what she wants.  And right now, she wants Katie dead."

"Maybe we can get her crest removed," Dani mused.  "She did violate the rules."

"Yah, but so did we," Dustin reminded her.

"True..." she trailed off.

"We still have some time to figure it out," I told them both.  "I'm sure if we all put our heads together, we can come up with something." I couldn't help remembering the feel of my fists hitting her face.  I would get revenge on her, one way or the other.

"Well, I'm going to head downstairs and start dinner.  Brandy and Brian are coming over tonight.  They said they had something they needed to talk to us about."

I stiffened.  "They do not like me."

Dani shook her head.  "I don't think it's about us."

Dustin raised an eyebrow.  "That can't be good."

"You guys go ahead.  I'm gonna call my parents."  I kissed Dustin's cheek and reached for my phone.

"Good luck."  He headed out the door with Dani.

I flopped on my bed and unlocked my phone.  It rang three times before my mom picked up.

"Katie!  I was starting to worry!"  She sounded out of breath.  "Is everything okay?"

I paused for a moment, considering my options.  Sure mom.  But hey, guess what?  My new roommate is a vampire, and I'm in love with her vampire brother.  He brought me back to life with his vampire blood after a vampire bitch tried to kill me.  Oh, yah, and now I have vampire hearing and vampire strength!  Vampire, vampire, vampire!  I decided that was probably not the best way to go.

"Yah, everything's fine.  Just busy with midterms."

"How's Dani?"  She asked.

"Really good!"  I replied.  "She's been a great friend lately."  That wasn't a lie, but a bit of an under exaggeration.

"Classes going well?"

"As well as can be expected."  I hated lying to her, but there was no way I could tell her the truth.

"Well, daddy and I miss you.  It's so quiet around here without you.  But at least we will all be together for Thanksgiving.  Your brothers are coming home from school too, and we can all catch up."

I sighed.  "Okay mom.  Tell everyone I said hi and tell Dad I love him."  I hoped mom wouldn't sense the stress in my voice.

"Okay sweetie.  Love you."

"Love you too."  I hit the end button, feeling homesick.

So much had changed in such a short time.  I wondered, for a moment, what would have happened if I had stayed closer to home.  Would I have been going to school with Supernaturals in northern Louisiana?  Sitting with vampires in class and having no idea? I was still having a hard time coming to terms with all the new information, and there was no way I could explain it to my parents when I still didn't even understand it myself.

"How did it go?"  Dustin popped his head in the door.

I looked up and sighed.  He was everything I had ever wanted, minus the whole blood drinking thing.  My first boyfriend, alluring and handsome.  Willing to give up everything just to keep me with him.  It didn't matter how many times I had thought it.  Every time I looked at him, I fell further in love. "It was fine.  They think I'm still at school."

Dustin sat on the edge of the bed.  "How are you doing with everything?  We haven't really had a talk since the fracture."

I shrugged.  "I'm adjusting."

"Katie, you're the strongest girl I have ever met.  Not everyone would have made it this far without losing their minds.  Believe me, I've seen it before.  I know things are crazy right now, but I promise, when everything settles down, we will be normal again."

"Normal?"  I raised my eyebrows at him, fighting the urge to laugh.

"As normal as a vampire and his Linked human girlfriend can be."

I smiled and pulled him into my arms.  "You're the best thing that's happened to me so far.  I never imagined I would find someone who made me feel like you do."

"Dustin!"  Dani's voice came from downstairs.

He stood up and held out his hand.  "Hungry?"  He grinned.

I punched him in the arm.  "Haha."

He took my hand and led me down the stairs.  "I know it sucks being stuck in this house, but I promise I'll try and make it bearable for us.  Maybe we should take up a hobby.  I've always wanted to learn how to quilt."

"Yah, I can imagine how you would look with a needle and thread.  You would probably poke yourself a million times and I'd have to feel it." The mental image was enough to make me want to run out and buy a quilting kit.

"Touché," he conceded.  "Maybe crocheting instead."

We headed to the dining room to find Brian and Brandy sitting at the table.  "Katie, how are you feeling?"  Brian asked.

"I'm okay," I replied, taking a seat at the table.  There was a chill in the air, and I got the feeling whatever they were here to talk about wasn't going to involve rainbows and kittens.

"Brian told me what happened," Brandy settled her gaze on me.  "I'm glad you guys are alright."

I nodded and reached for Dustin's hand, as he sat down next to me.  I knew he could feel the spike in my heart rate, because he squeezed my hand reassuringly.

Dani came through the door with a huge pan of fried chicken.  Shawn followed her with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.  "Everyone hungry?"

I nodded.  "Of course, you are!"  Dani smiled my way.  "There are third world countries that consume less in a year than you have in the few days you have been here!"

"Katie has been experiencing some side effects of the Link," Brian explained to Brandy.  "She's been having faster than normal metabolism and enhanced strength, among other things."

She nodded.  "I remember that with-" Brandy began, but Brian put his hand on her arm.  "Not right now."  She closed her mouth and looked down.

"Anyway, we need to talk to you guys," Brian began.  "Some new information has come to light, and we may need to take action."

I immediately felt uncomfortable.  "I can leave you guys alone if this is a family thing."  I started to stand up, hoping to leave the discomfort behind.

"It's okay Katie.  You're kind of like family now," Brian forced a smile.  "Besides, I'm sure Dustin will tell you everything anyway.  And with your enhanced hearing..." he trailed off.

I sat back down, not entirely sure I should be involved in this round table convo.  But Dustin's reassuring smile kept me in my seat.

"Can we eat while we talk?"  Dani didn't wait for him to answer, as she started to pass the food around the table.

I took two pieces of chicken and scooped a huge pile of potatoes onto my plate.  I had no idea what I was about to hear, but something told me I wasn't going to like it.

"You know we have been trying to track mom and dad.  We got some intel on where they might be."

I looked up sharply.  Dustin and Dani had told me their parents were dead.  Of course, at that time I still thought their family consisted of strictly human members.

Dustin looked over at me, catching my eyes with his.  "I'll tell you later."  I heard his voice in my head, but his lips didn't move.  I looked back down at my plate, shocked by the mental delivery of his message.

"We heard from our sources that some of Kellan's followers have been spotted outside of Tennison.  I think they may be gearing up for something big."

Dustin paused, his fork half way to his mouth.  "They aren't allowed to leave the compound.  What are they doing?"

"I don't know, but if they decide to come this way, we will need reinforcements.  I've been in touch with some of our Line and they are on alert.  Shawn, I need you to call your grandfather and let him know.  We can't be too careful when Kellan is concerned."

Shawn looked angry.  "I can't believe this.  The council already ruled on it.  They shouldn't be allowed to get away with this."

Dani moved her food around on her plate.  "Do we know if mom and dad are with them?"

"We don't know anything yet, except some of them have turned up missing, and it's suspected they have secured some outside help."

The table fell silent.  I didn't know what to say, so I just concentrated on eating.

"Every Eternal will be at risk if they get out.  We need to get in touch with the heads of all the Lines.  The only way to handle this is with a strong, united front.  It will take them awhile to get their ducks in a row, and we need to be ready for them."  Brian brought a forkful of chicken to his mouth.

"We're going to have to get more information.  We need to find out whether mom and dad are still on the compound.  It might be wise to check with some of our other "special" friends and see if any of them have heard anything," Dani suggested.

Brandy nodded, emphatically.  "Any help would be welcome."

"So," Dustin looked at each one of them in turn.  "We're in agreement?"  They all nodded their heads.  "Okay, let's eat."

The rest of the meal was strained.  I tried playing parts of the movie Clueless in my head, hoping to keep from looking as freaked out as I felt. Little bits of conversation flew about, but everyone was obviously distracted.  I finished my plate and stood up.  "Thank you for dinner, Dani.  If you'll excuse me, I have some studying to do."  I excused myself, leaving them to their family discussion.

My head hummed with confusion.  I now knew that Dustin's parents were still alive, in some form, on a compound somewhere.  Maybe.  Or maybe they escaped from this compound?  I realized how little I knew about Dustin's world outside of the wooded cabin, and I wondered when he would finally tell me the entire truth.  Did he still not trust me?

I tried to push the thoughts out of my head and concentrate on my homework.  Art History was much less exciting than LeFores family history.

"Hey," Dustin came into the room.  "What are you doing?"

I held up my book.  "Have a paper due in a few days.  So do you," I reminded him, trying to avoid his eyes.

"We need to talk."

"Why does the hair on the back of my neck stand up every time you say that?"  I asked.  I lowered my voice.  "And how come you never told me about that neat little trick where you can tell me things without saying them out loud?"

"Katie, you need to understand something.  Before your accident, I never intended for you to find out about my family.  I never intended for you to find out about me.  But everything has changed now, and there's some things I need to clarify."

I settled back on the bed and waited for him to continue.

"I told you what happened to Dani, but what I didn't tell you was that Alicia was a Shadowfall.  She was part of a faction that splintered off the main group, a faction bent on destroying the Eternal Lines, initiated by a vampire named Kellan.  Our parents were very prominent Eternals, and they had some pretty progressive ideas about blending the Lines and creating a stronger Eternal race."

He moved next to me and took my hand.  "When Alicia arrived at the school, she pretended to be a human.  Kellan had convinced a Magic Caster to cloak her, so we wouldn't know what she was.  She got assigned to Dani's room and proceeded to work her way into our lives.  We had no idea and welcomed her, hanging out with her and including her in our activities.  She even dated Jeremy for a while.  Soon, things started to get weird.  She wanted to be with Dani all the time, and she became very possessive of her.  I knew something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it."

My heart began to pound.  "What happened next?"

"I came home from class one day and Shawn was in a panic. Dani hadn't been home in over 24 hours.  It wasn't like her not to at least call.  We kept trying to call her, but her phone kept going to voicemail.  We immediately called our parents.  Turns out that Alicia had taken Dani, and Kellan had already called my parents for the ransom.  Unfortunately, the ransom wasn't money.  We could have handled that.  Kellan wanted to exchange Dani for our parents."

"Are you serious?"  I asked, incredulously.  I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"They wanted to use our parents to try and destroy the Eternal Lines.  They hoped that by subjecting them to violent experiments they could turn them into Shadowfall, thereby undermining the whole Eternal faction.  Kellan threatened to turn Dani if my parents didn't agree.   Once we found out what was happening, all the Lines began searching for her.  Three days passed, but we couldn't find her.  My parents worried that Kellan would make good on his word and contacted him to arrange a meeting.  Just after they left, we got word that Dani had been located, but by then, our parents were already gone.  Shawn and I headed up the rescue mission for Dani, finding her in an abandoned warehouse outside of town.  She was badly hurt.  We took her somewhere safe and returned to search for Alicia."

I knew what came next.  "What happened when you found her?"

"Katie, I'm not a monster, but after what Dani had endured, all because of Alicia and her 'friends', I went a little crazy.  I'll spare you the details, but Shawn and I, along with George and Jeremy, hunted them all down and took care of them.  Took care of them so that no one would ever have to worry about them again.  Unfortunately, Alicia was just a pawn of Kellan's.  He had my parents and that's what he wanted.  He didn't care who he sacrificed to get them."

He stopped and looked at his hands.  "We've been searching for them for almost a year."

I sat back and tried to make sense of everything Dustin had just told me.  I didn't know what to say.  Good vampires and bad vampires, Factions and Lines, Eternals and Shadowfall. The inner workings of the underworld were more confusing than calculous.

My heart ached for him and Dani.  To know your parents are alive somewhere, and not be able to see them, not be able to know they are okay, must be torture.  "Dani is so strong.  I can't imagine having gone through something like that and still be able to smile."

"Up until you came around, Dani didn't smile much.  She spent all her time with Shawn and me.  She didn't trust anyone, and she blamed herself for what happened to our parents."

"What will you do when you find them?"  I looked into his deep green eyes, fully knowing the answer.

"I'll put our family back together and punish the ones who tried to hurt us."  The determination was obvious by the strong set of his jaw.

"I'll help you," I replied.  "No one hurts the people closest to me and gets away with it."

He smiled and shook his head.  "You are one of a kind, Katie Griffin."  He pulled me close and cuddled down into the bed.  "We'll take it one day at a time."

I leaned against him and closed my eyes.

Author's Note: All of Katie's dinners with Dustin's family always yield interesting revelations! What's next for this group? Comment below! Thank you for reading! Luvs as always!! AM💜