Tonight, however, he might torture me all he wanted; it would not come close to the pain that I had endured earlier, the visions of my two offspring killing each other far from my reach. Two children that I had failed.
Allison. Forgive me, I wish I could have prepared you better. What were the odds that you would meet your blood brother so far from your origins?
“You seem distracted tonight, old friend.” Sarren smiled and picked up a scalpel, holding it up to his face. His tongue flicked out, sliding along the surface. “Let us see if we can’t bring your mind back to where it’s supposed to be. I’ve heard blood tastes the best straight off the blade. Why don’t we see if that is true?”
I closed my eyes, preparing myself. I would not survive much longer; already I could feel my sanity slipping, succumbing to pain and madness. My only comfort was that at least Sarren had found me first, that I was taking the brunt of his hate, and that my offspring were safe from his demented clutches.
Then the blade found my skin, and all thoughts melted away and turned to pain.
*
“KANIN!”
Sand flooded my mouth, clogging my nose and the back of my throat. Spitting and choking, I bolted upright, clawing through layers of dirt until I reached the surface.
Zeke rose quickly from where he sat against a half-buried rail. Bewildered, I gazed around, trying to remember where we were. A few yards away, waves rose and fell against a strip of white sand, making hissing noises as they returned to the lake. Behind us, Chicago’s ruined skyscrapers crowded the skyline, threatening to topple into the sand.
Pieces of the night came back to me. Zeke and I had found the others across the bridge where he’d left them, sitting in one of the very same vans used to kidnap them. With only minutes till sunrise, we had torn off down the streets, putting as much distance as we could between ourselves and the raiders, until we hit the coast. With nothing on my mind except getting out of the sun, I’d buried myself in the sand moments before the light peeked over the water and instantly blacked out.
“You all right?” Zeke asked, his hair whipping about in the wind. He looked stronger this evening, not quite as pale, wearing a heavier jacket over his tattered clothes. “More nightmares?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, though I knew it wasn’t a dream. It was Kanin. In trouble. “Where are the others?” I asked. “Are they all right?”
Zeke gestured to the building behind us, where the truck had been parked near the door, sand piling around its tires. Every so often, the wind scoured away the dusty coating, showing spots of pavement beneath. “Caleb is sick and Teresa sprained her ankle,” he replied, “but other than that, they seem fine. Healthwise, anyway. It’s amazing, really. That no one else was seriously hurt.”
A slender figure appeared in the doorway, watching Zeke and me. When she saw me gazing at her, however, she quickly vanished back inside.
“They’re afraid of me, aren’t they?”
Zeke sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “They’ve been taught their whole lives that vampires are predators and demons,” he said, not apologetic, or defensive, just matter-of-fact. “Yes. They’re afraid of you, despite everything I told them. And Ruth…”
“Hates me,” I finished, shrugging. “Not much of a change, there.”
“She kept insisting I dig up your body and kill you while you were sleeping.” Zeke frowned, shaking his head. “She even tried to get Jake to do it when I refused. We had to have…a talk.” His face fell, and he looked away. “She’s scared. They all are. After what they’ve been through, I don’t blame them. But she won’t get in your way or cause trouble,” he continued in a firm voice. “And the others have accepted that you’ll be traveling with us for now. You’re still coming, right? You’ll still see us there?”
“To Eden?” I shrugged again and looked away, toward the water, so I didn’t see his face. Looking at him would make it that much harder. “I don’t know, Zeke. I don’t think Eden is the type of place that will welcome someone like me.” Kanin’s face swam across my mind again, tortured and in agony. “And I have…something I have to do. Someone to find.” I owe him that.
“They’ll be all right with you now.” I finally gave Zeke a sideways glance. “You can get them there. According to Jackal’s map, Eden isn’t far.”
“Forget the others then.” Zeke stepped toward me, not touching, but close. “I’m asking you. Please. Will you see us through the final stretch?”