Audrey was walking along the footpath with her friends, whispering while looking back at us. I found it surprising that she was allowed to walk to and from school after her father said that he never let his daughters walk around by themselves. Like many other things in this town, it did not add up.

Brad was already here, distracted by working on his laptop. The crazy guy couldn't step away from work for even a minute. I'm sure his boss would allow a few minutes to pick me up.

Opening my bag, I pulled a pen out and took Kannon's arm. Writing my number on it, I looked up at him with a smile. There was a group of giggles from ahead of us.

"I think you just dropped a few rungs on the social ladder."

"I'd rather climb your ladder."

"Good grief," I said with a giggle.

"Too corny?"

"Just a little, but still rather cute."

"Good, because I meant it in a non-sexual way, just in case you thought I was hinting. Which, you know, that's totally cool if you want to, but I'm not saying that we have to or anything."

Kannon looked at me, and for the first time, I swear it was like he was the one blushing.

"I'll shut up now."

"You just wanted to point out that you don't care what they think, just what I think?"

"That's the one. So, I earned a little trust?"

I nodded, clicking the lid back on the pen.

"Awesome. I am going to say hello to your uncle."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. Not just because of you but because my parents would expect me to welcome him to our town. He's going to be your second in charge, right?"

"Niko said it would be a good idea."

Brad's gaze lifted as we approached. The laptop was quickly put away, and he got out of the car.

"Evie, you're looking rather happy," he murmured.

Me? Nah, it was clearly his imagination. I shrugged, feeling that burning tingle in my cheeks. Brad chuckled and turned to Kannon with an outstretched hand.

"Brad, uncle, and embarrassing guardian."

"Kannon Lothaire," he said as he shook Brad's hand. "I seem to have the same effect on her as well."

They were all smiles at my expense. I said nothing as I leaned against the car. Audrey and her friends were watching intently.

"When you and Evie are settled, my parents would like to invite both of you over for a meet and greet of all the anti-Drakkus vampires that reside in Hades. We've waited for a long time for a true Corbin to return to this town, and they're eager to help wherever possible. I know that like Evie, you will have trust issues but be assured that we are not on his side. You'll understand that when you hear their stories. They will make you realize why we want Evie to rule the vampires in this town."

Brad nodded quietly, a little stunned. Momentarily, he glanced at me.

"Uh, okay. Sounds great."

Kannon nodded, stepping back with a subdued smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure."

Kannon crossed the car park and got into his car. Brad was behind the wheel, watching with narrowed eyes.

"Boys and fast cars," he muttered, then looked at me. "So, I see that you traded numbers."

"Brad," I hissed.

"I don't care what you do with your life so long as you're aware of the consequences of your actions. You are almost eighteen, and I expect that you will make wise choices. If you want to date him, that's fine. He seems quite pleasant."

"He stuck up for me."

Brad stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me. I gave a slight shrug.

"See the girls leaning on the fence? The one in the center is Audrey, Ryan's daughter. Every chance she gets, she tells me to hand the leadership over to Drakkus."

"Is she a vampire?"

"No."

"Do I need to speak to the school about this? I can get you transferred to another class."

Brad started the engine, pulling out of the park and thankfully taking me away from the view of Audrey. Kannon was already out of the park and on the street. He'd just driven past Andross, who turned his head and watched him. The look on his face was dark.

"That's not going to solve the problem. Audrey never says a thing to me in class. It's always in the corridors before and after school, between lessons."

"Well, how about I get you transferred into ones with Kannon in them?"

"I think that's going a little overboard. I can deal with her. Also, that guy there, he's a problem."

Brad casually glanced out the window.

"I recognize him. Where have I seen him?"

"The night that Niko died. He grabbed me and almost bit me."

"No," Brad murmured. "I've seen him somewhere else."

His fingers rapped on the steering wheel, frowning as he thought about it. Brad always had an intense look on his face when he was overthinking something.

"Stop trying to figure it out. You'll never remember."

"It's right there. I can see him. Kind of."

"Brad," I chided.

With a sigh, he rolled his eyes.

There was silence in the car until we pulled into the driveway.

"The gardener," Brad said with shock in his tone.

"See? You stopped thinking about it. You should always listen to me and follow my advice."

Brad pulled the handbrake on and shot me a derisive stare.

"You were the one that said that chicken place on the highway looked like a great place to eat."

"It was."

"I spent the night looking down into the toilet bowl."

"An odd choice of activity for the night."

"Puking my guts up," he grumbled.

Pressing my lips tight with a cheesy smile, I fluttered my lashes and begged for forgiveness. Brad shook his head.

"So, where do you know him from?"

"He came here to give me a quote to keep the lawn and gardens maintained."

"He's trying to get into the house. I wonder if he needs permission or something like that."

"Maybe you should message your new friend."

I nodded and pulled out my phone.

Brad began the search while I messaged Kannon. He said that it was guaranteed that's what Andross would have done. As for gaining entry to the house, there wasn't much that we could do to stop him. It was then that I remembered what Niko had said. Nothing could stop a vampire, not even holy ground.

No protections, no laws. Even if there was a law that could stop a vampire, Andross would go against it anyway. He would do anything to keep Drakkus in the top job. Kannon said the sooner I remembered that, the easier it would be to understand how and why Andross did things.

Nothing would protect us aside from the obvious locks and bars. Even then, that could be dealt with. It would be a deterrent, that was true, but when faced with a desperate vampire that was eager to please his master, we would be better off not bothering.

He also added that time was fading, and we needed to claim the leadership soon. Otherwise, Drakkus would send someone here, and that would be the end of us.

I thought it was surprising that he hadn't turned up already. Maybe shooting him twice had put an end to that for a few days. If that were the case, then Kannon was right. We were running out of time.

While Brad searched the house, I did a little family research from my end of the line. Brad had so kindly left his credit card for me to use. Purchasing birth certificates were not cheap.

I started with my own, then my mother's and Brad's. Then I obtained my grandparents. It was my grandmother where I found solid proof. She was Niko's daughter. Crazily enough, Niko was listed as the father on the document. I searched for a birth certificate for Niko but could not find one.

I opted for email and post. The original birth certificates would be posted, likely to arrive in a few days, but I needed something sooner than that. So, the emailed version was far better. Printing them out, I went in search of Brad.

"We've got the proof. Niko was your grandfather."

Brad was stunned.

"I remember my grandmother, but it's pretty vague. I don't ever recall her talking about my grandfather, and when I asked my parents, they said that she never said a word about it."

"How did she die?"

"Robbery gone wrong, I think. I was pretty young. All I remember was that the funeral was seriously low-key. It was just your grandparents, your mother, me, the priest, and a closed casket. The priest said a few words, and we left. No flowers, no wake, we didn't even wait to see the burial. Now that I think about it, I wonder if there was a reason there was no one there."

He took the birth certificates and looked at them, then passed them back.

"Get the death certificates too. We may need to prove that they died of vampire-related causes."

Returning to Brad's computer, I searched for the documents while doing a little research. I wanted to know how much information I could get out of the government. Turns out, it was a lot.

An autopsy was done on my mother, a drug overdose. Curiously, the toxins in her body were high. The coroner listed many long-winded names that made no sense to me. I wonder if Brad knew what these were.

My grandparents died in a plane crash, and the aviation authority did a report and released it for public records. Engine failure. There was also a lot of technical information on this that I did not understand. Still, I printed it out and added it to the pile.

As for my great-grandmother, Niko's partner, she did die from wounds from a beating. The police report matched the coroner's report. The house she lived in had been ransacked. They noted that her purse was empty, jewelry was gone and possibly a lot more items, but they had no real idea as there was no one to ascertain what was there before she died. There was no next of kin listed which meant that she'd cut ties with her daughter.

Was that for her safety, or did they have a falling out? Given what Brad remembered about the funeral, it was likely that they'd parted ways out of safety. Maybe because she had no memory of her father, my grandmother didn't believe her mother when she said that vampires were real and that her father was one. If she didn't have blood cravings, then it would add to the disbelief.

Brad walked past the door, his arms loaded with a box of stuff.

"Hey, did your mother see your grandmother?"

"I remember visiting her, but it was never in a house. Mom would say that we're going to a park and grandma will be there. I'd be happy playing on the swings while they sat on the bench."

"Together?"

"Well, yeah. That was the point of it."

"The police report from your grandmother's robbery and death noted that there was no next of kin listed."

Brad frowned, shaking his head.

"No, that's not right. I remember a police officer at our house. I distinctly remember hearing him tell my mother that she'd died from her injuries. My mother cried, and even dad was upset. This doesn't make any sense."

Giving him the report, Brad read through it and shook his head again.

"This is not," he sat down, sounding winded. "This is fake."

"Someone was hiding our family, Brad. This," I said, shaking the document at him. "Is just another piece of the puzzle, it's one big picture of death, and I'd bet anything that Drakkus was the one ordering these hits. Your grandmother, your parents, my mother, they're all dead."

"What about us?" he whispered.

"Maybe the only reason we survived was that your parents kept you and mom hidden, and in turn, she hid me. Maybe beyond her death, we only survived because we moved so much."

"And now we've settled in one place. How long before the reaper catches us?"

"Drakkus will not be our end. We make bold moves to show him that we mean business."

Pulling out my phone, I asked Kannon if he knew how I would be able to claim ownership of the house. He said yes, and that he'd bring the paperwork over today. Time was running out, and it had to be done as soon as we could manage.

"I will make him pay for everything that he's done to our family."