Anzide frowned at me. I stopped pacing the floor and huffed.

"I can't just wait for it to happen."

"Of course, you can. Harlwood will not want you anywhere near him when he takes down the first vampire."

"I just want to go and look."

"No. Harlwood gave strict instructions for your nocturnal habits. You remain on the property at all times."

"He's right," Brad mumbled. "Vampires feed at night, Drakkus and his followers will be the most active, and they will be searching for you. Don't make that search easy."

Anzide pointed to the seat next to him with a frown still showing. Reluctantly, I sat down.

"There is much to gain for him. Harlwood will ensure that he lives up to his side of the deal,"

"Agreement," I interrupted.

"Yeah, whatever you want to tell yourself."

I looked at Anzide. He shrugged as if he almost agreed with Brad.

"What's the difference? You agreed on it, and you made a deal. It's the same thing, Evie. So long as we keep our side of the deal, there is no issue. I won't see Hannah. I'll totally ghost her."

"Which will be so easy to do in a small town."

Brad frowned at me. Right now, he looked normal. Fed, lucid, and a soft pink color.

"You know what you should do? Wait until I speak to Harlwood. I'll get him to confirm if it's her or not."

"So, she can still come here?"

"No," Anzide said firmly. "If she is the demon, then her presence will linger, and Harlwood will detect it and think that we've gone against the agreement. Keep her away from this property no matter what."

Sighing heavily, Brad turned the quote from Henry to me.

"I can do this, but it will be tight. We will have to live off your inheritance after I pay for this because it will almost wipe out everything I have."

"You don't have to," I murmured. "I'd rather you take it from my money."

"Look, you're not seeing this correctly. I know that you want to pay for it because you think it was your fault,"

"It was my fault." I interrupted.

"Not entirely. You were unaware of your ability, that can be blamed on your father. Renuge was taking Anzide away, and Drakkus turned up. Those things putting pressure on you were too much, and it's only to be expected that it would erupt as it did. See? Loverboy agrees with me."

Anzide was frowning at Brad.

"I do agree. If you want me to continue supporting your statements it would be wise to use my given name rather than the taunt that you offer."

"Sure, sure," Brad said as he rolled his eyes. "The point that I'm trying to make is that while you were the one that demolished the house, the entire blame cannot be pinned on you. As for the money, I'm assuming that as the vampire leader, you'll need to be financially fluid. My money is yours, just like yours is mine because we're in this nightmare together, but I think that at some point in the future, there's a line that needs to be drawn into the sand. It will show you as a great leader that is separate from everyone else, including me. You can't be this independent and strong leader if you're getting an allowance from your uncle, can you?"

Feeling rather low, I didn't know what to say. What he said made perfect sense. Drakkus would be loaded, I'm sure of it. We're only assuming, but it was likely that I had to have a bit stowed away as well.

"Look, at the moment, we're pooling our money to get this done. I'll build the house, and you'll pay the bills. When the house is back and everything is peachy again, we'll revisit this. The remaining money will be split sixty-forty so that you've got a decent amount in the bank. How's that?"

"It's okay, I guess."

"Good. I'm hungry."

"I would advise against going into the forest. Perhaps if you took the car and went into town it would be safer. Just avoid other vampires and come straight back."

"Can we go with him?"

"No." Anzide grumped.

Anzide looked between us, then let out a frustrated huff.

"I went out to search for Niko again and ended up going past the woman's house. She has a partner who had clearly reported her missing because Larry was there. They haven't found the body, but you can guarantee that Drakkus will know by now. All the vampires that he has control of will be on the lookout for a vampire, but they will already know who it is because of the proximity to this place."

"Will Larry turn up?"

Anzide shook his head.

"It is doubtful. Drakkus wants to show his power, and to let a human cop take down a member of the Corbin family would be a missed opportunity. That's why you need to be careful out there. Listen to your instincts, and pay attention to your surroundings. Get your feed done, and don't waste time with unimportant things. You managed to harness the skills quite well when you fed on that woman, and I would imagine that nothing has changed."

Brad nodded and got up from the table. Once the jacket was on and the car keys were in his pocket, he was gone.

"Should we be worried that something will happen?"

"Vampires are a remarkable creature, even if they are classed as a newborn. They adapt quickly, which you saw when Brad fed on that woman. He was reluctant when we were here at the table, but that soon passed. Once he knew that it was within him, Brad let the vampire take control. I suspect that all of his humanity has faded. As for the shapeshifter, it is hard to say. There could be something left within him, but it is unlikely."

"Do I need to sleep with one eye open?"

Anzide chuckled.

"Did you need to when Niko lived in the house with you?"

"No, but Brad's a newborn. He's clearly struggling."

"That was because the humanity was dying, and the shapeshifter was fighting with the vampire. It was also because he didn't understand and was hungry. He will learn control, and he will not be hungry provided that he finds a worthy meal."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Then I will watch over him."

I distracted myself by tidying the van, putting things away into their temporary homes, and generally trying to avoid thinking about Brad being alone.

Anzide looked at the clock, giving me a grim smile. It had been an hour.

Brad wasn't here. We hadn't heard a peep out of him, and I was worried. There was a lot of danger out there and he was a prime target for Drakkus and his followers.

"I can go out and search for him, but I can't guarantee that I will find him. As much as this is a small town, there are a lot of places to hide."

"Yeah, but we're in a really bad situation. Brad's taken too long, and if one of the other vampires has found him, he could be in danger."

With a nod and a heavy sigh, Anzide stood from the table.

"Do not leave this van unless it is on fire. Is that clear?"

"Sure."

Leaning down, Anzide kissed me. It was hard to resist him when he was being so caring. My hand smoothed over the bristly jaw, enjoying the moment of affection. Our time alone together was becoming increasingly less and less, which was annoying. The sooner the house was back to the way that it was, the better.

"I won't be long."

Anzide faded out of the caravan, leaving me alone. It was at that moment that all the bravado left me, and I suddenly wanted him to come back. Rushing to the door, I flicked the lock and silently prayed that if the horrid vampires of this town came calling, it would be enough of a deterrent.

All but the light over the main bed was off. I snuggled into the corner and played games on my phone. There wasn't much else to do. I'd finished my school work, I couldn't travel to the portal without Anzide, and there wasn't a single book in this caravan to read.

Hearing a thump on the door, I jumped with fright. Gritting my teeth together to ensure I remained silent, I carefully sat forward and looked at the thin metal that would not withstand a desperate vampire. Was Harlwood's spell enough to keep Drakkus and his underlings away?

"Evie?" Brad called out.

Sighing heavily, I put my phone down. Getting up from the bed, I walked to the door.

"What took you so long?"

Opening the door, I saw the hungry Brad that was a menace.

"Brad, did you feed?"

He stepped up onto the first metal step, staring at me.

"No," he murmured.

Warily I put some distance between us. It was not enough, and I hit the edge of the dining table.

"Why not? Where's Anzide?"

I got no answer, just a vampire that took another step closer. His eyes were turning orange, the skin was pale, and those horrid fangs were tapering thin. He was ready and willing to take whatever he could, and in this case, it was me.

"Don't do this," I whispered. "You need to control the hunger."

"I tried. They all run away. You're the only one that doesn't run off screaming."

"Okay," I said, trying to be reassuring. "You need a few more lessons. Maybe a little guidance from Niko."

Brad huffed like it was beneath him yet funny.

He swooped with such speed that I didn't see it until he had me pinned to the table. I struggled but was not winning the battle. Brad had more to gain from this. At least, I guess that's what he thought. I wanted to fight him off, but it wasn't easy. My life depended on it, yet he was winning. Maybe he was just stronger than me.

"Please," I begged. "You'll regret this when it's over."

The fangs were bared at me. A soft hissing noise echoed as he approached, ready to bite my neck. There was only one solution, and I didn't like it. Only one way out of a dire situation. I kneed him in the groin.

Brad groaned with a mighty wince on his face, buckling over and freeing me.

"Sorry," I called out, rushing to the door. "I really do want cousins someday. I'm sure you'll be fine."

Grabbing the keys, I pulled the door shut and locked it. He was temporarily trapped until he figured out how to unlock the door without the key. It wasn't easy, but it could be done. I hoped it would take him a while to figure it out, but Brad was a smart guy, and of course, he was hungry.

Looking around, I realized that there was no one that could help me. If I ran to the neighbors, I'd put them at risk. I could wait for Anzide to return, but that might take a while. And of course, I could stay and duke it out with my uncle, hoping to remain unharmed while not doing too much damage to him.

The desperation was clearly taking over.

Brad thumped his body against the door. Angry words were spat out. I stepped back with no idea of what I could do to make this better, to stop the ravenous vampire.

I looked at the forest. It was not an ideal situation. In fact, it was the worst place for me to be right now. As I thought about vampire abilities, I looked around at the yard and then the forest. Brad was insanely fast in open areas, which meant that I stood no chance of outrunning him here. The vampires that taunted Niko, they moved through the forest in short, sharp bursts, which indicated that they couldn't maneuver around objects at fast speeds.

Was I better off in the forest?

The door swung open with a mighty clatter, and one angry vampire stood at the doorway, heaving as if he'd just run a marathon.

Brad began to stalk me, slowly moving closer. Even though I was backing away, he still managed to close the gap with larger strides.

In another blur of movement, Brad knocked me over, pushing me down to the grass. The fangs were out again, and this time, he was wise enough to put weight on my legs. My arms were held out wide, and I could not move.

Tears streamed freely. I looked up to the man that had been my world for the past three years, who had saved me from a life in foster homes, and who had given me so much freedom. For us to be like this, it was beyond wrong.

"Please don't destroy the trust that we've built."

Brad frowned, tilting his head back a fraction. It was like the request had registered in his mind, but he couldn't understand what I'd asked of him. It was enough though. The thoughts in his mind were distracting enough for him to shift his focus elsewhere, so I used them to my advantage.

Knocking him back, I scrambled to my feet. As Brad lifted from the ground, I punched him and ran.