Chapter Eleven

Emma.

I helplessly watch him take his last breath.

I panic. I don't think. I grab the knife, cut my finger and put it in his mouth. I know it only takes a drop of Vampire blood to turn a human, but I'm not sure if it'll work after his heart stops beating. Not to mention that I just died, and it's mostly his blood coursing through my veins.

"What did you just do?" Drew says behind me.

I grimace. I forgot they were there, and I'm not sure how they'll react.

I didn't have a choice though. It wasn't a conscious decision. I couldn't lose Ryker. He's my everything now. I love him more than I thought possible, and I could never live with myself if he died saving me. I can't live without him. I don't care what the future holds for us. I just need Ryker.

"I love him," I say softly.

"I know you do, Fox," Drew replies. "Will he…" He clears his throat awkwardly. "Will he wake up?"

"I hope so." I wipe the tears from my face and chance a look over my shoulder to Drew and Zeke.

"I'm not sure how he's going to feel about that," Zeke speaks up.

"It's too late now," Drew says. "Help me carry him out of here."

Drew and Zeke lift Ryker as best as they can and half-drag him out of the room and down the stairs.

"Ryker!" Gabe yells and runs toward us.

"Help us carry him," Drew grunts. "Fuck, he's heavy."

Several of the guys rush forward, and they carry Ryker to the dining room and lay him on the table.

"Fox, can you look over the women?" Gabe asks me.

I'm reluctant to leave Ryker, but I agree.

There are seven girls huddled together on the large couch.

"We didn't know," a brunette says to me with wide eyes as I approach. "They were just some hot guys that invited us to a party. We thought if we went in a group we'd be safe."

"Vampires are real," the redhead gasps.

Several are crying. I look over each one for wounds and bite marks. It looks like we got here in time.

One girl looks shell-shocked. She is young, maybe twenty-one, with long, light-blonde hair like mine, blue eyes, slightly darker than mine, and completely innocent looking.

"How are you doing?" I ask as I look her over.

"He said he liked me," she whispers, and I freeze. "He said I was special. He said my hair…" She lets out a sob.

"Was like an angel's," I finish for her. My mind flashes with my own traumatizing experience years ago and hearing Sato say those exact words.

She nods in response and her body shakes as she tries to hold back her tears.

"What's your name?"

"Serena," she says between sobs.

"I'm Fox." I put my hand on her shoulder. "I was you, many years ago. If you ever need someone to talk to, you call me, okay? You're very lucky."

"I don't feel lucky right now." She wipes her face and looks at me.

"I'm sure not." I frown. "But you survived and that's the most important thing."

She nods, and I move on to the next girl.

"No bites. No bullets," I announce as Gabe walks in.

"Good." He nods. "We got here in time. I called in the clean-up crew so we gotta get moving. Do you girls need rides home?"

We get the girls off in their cars. I give Serena my phone number. Then I run to get the SUV, and the guys carry Ryker out and lay him down in the back.

We drive back to the office and the guys carry Ryker inside. There's a small medical room down the hall from the gadget lab. It just has a cot, a chair, and a small sink and cabinet, which I assume holds supplies. They lay him out on the cot.

I take his vest and boots and weapons off and wipe his face. I take the cloth wrap from his wrist and cover it with clean gauze I find in the cabinet.

"Do you need anything?" Gabe asks from the doorway.

"No." I shake my head. I pocketed the inhaler, and hopefully it'll be enough to sustain me. I'm not leaving him.

"Call if you do, okay?" he says, and I nod.

I pull up the chair next to the bed and hold Ryker's hand. Then, I do something I haven't done in years. I pray. I pray for forgiveness and strength. I pray for Ryker, his life, his love, and his forgiveness.

Several hours pass when I have the foresight to text Everlee and tell her to meet me at a bridal store tomorrow afternoon.

***

The next day, when the time comes to meet at the shop, I call Everlee.

"Fox?" she answers on the first ring.

"Do you have everything you need?" I jump right to the point.

"Yes," she breathes into the phone.

I give her the address to the office, and tell her to get to the blood bank and stock up as much as she can before coming to me.

Several hours pass before Gabe appears at the doorway with Everlee. She rushes forward to me, but he stops her by grabbing her arm. She squeaks but glares at him.

"She says she knows you." He looks to me for confirmation.

"Yes, I sent for her," I say apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't think to warn you she'd be coming."

"Are you expecting more friends?" He frowns as his eyes sweep over her.

"No." I shake my head, and he releases her arm.

She walks to me, and I pull her into a hug. Gabe slips out of the room.

"What happened? Is it over?" Her body shakes as I release her, and she turns towards the cot. "Is this him?"

"Yes, this is Ryker." I place my hand on his arm.

"Did he get bit?" she asks, checking at his neck for bite marks.

"It was an accident," I say softly.

Her eyes widen as she turns to me, but her question goes unasked.

"Sato is dead. It's over. I don't have a plan yet, but I can't go back to The Community, and I promised I wouldn't leave you."

"When you didn't come home, I was so worried." She frowns. "Mason saw right through your ruse, and Richard declared you married."

"Married?" Drew growls from the doorway, and we both spin around. He's scowling at us.

Zeke's expression is clouded as he stands with arms crossed over his chest right behind Drew. "What do you mean, married?"

My mouth opens, but no words come out.

Everlee steps forward and speaks for me. "In The Community, the council can declare a woman married without her consent."

"Does Ryker know?" Gabe asks, stepping back into the room behind Drew and Zeke.

I shake my head. "It doesn't matter. I'm never going back to The Community."

"Will they come after you?" Zeke steps into the room. His eyes slowly move down Everlee's body, and she blushes but doesn't turn away.

"I don't know," I admit. "It's possible. As soon as Ryker wakes up, we should leave."

"We?" Drew frowns. "You think Ryker will go with you?"

"I…" I frown and look down at Ryker's face. "We didn't talk about it, but I hope so."

"How long until he wakes up?" Gabe gestures to Ryker's form.

"It could be another day or two," I answer as best as I can. I've never been around when someone turns, and in my own experience my memory was too fuzzy, but I knew I'd been out for at least a couple days.

"Drew, call the boys in. I want this place locked down. Zeke, ask Jenny to get somewhere ready for Fox and her friend to sleep. There's cots in the storage room, they can have one of the meeting rooms," Gabe directs, and they leave to do as told. Then he turns to me. "Give me your keys so we can hide your car."

I hand them over without hesitation.

"Most of the walls back here are reinforced steel, so we don't have to worry about you being heard, but we can't be too careful. I'll have the guys put your stuff in the room Jenny puts you in." He says the last part to Everlee, and she hands him the keys to The Community's car.

"Oh, um, the car can be driven away. It's the Community's. I just need the suitcase out of the trunk." She shifts uncomfortably. "The other container should be refrigerated if it's possible."

His eyebrows shoot up, and then he looks at me. I give him an awkward smile, and he understands.

"No problem. Do you need anything from your car?"

"There's a bag in the trunk," I say, and he nods and leaves. I always have a bag in my trunk, since I never know when I'm going to split.

"We shouldn't stay here," Everlee says when we're alone. "We're putting all of these guys at risk."

"I know that," I say and turn to fuss over Ryker. "But I can't leave him."

"I understand," she sighs. "But you know he'd be safer if you did."

"Once he wakes up, he can make that choice," I say.

"Okay. I won't push," she says. She sits in the chair. "So, is it like a requirement to work here that the guys all be hot, or something?"

I laugh and look at her. "Yeah, they're not hard to look at, are they? Did one in particular catch your eye?"

"No." She shrugs, but a faint blush creeps into her cheeks.

We spend some time talking about the guys, then I give her an abbreviated version of what happened, and I tell her about the girls that were at the house.

"Knock, knock." Jenny appears in the doorframe, frowning down at Ryker, tears filling her eyes.

"He'll be okay," I assure her. I don't know Jenny that well, she's pretty closed off, but I know she cares about everyone who works at The Company.

"I know, I'm sorry." She wipes at her eyes and tosses her red hair back over her shoulder. "It's a risk every time they go out, but it's still hard to see him like this."

I stand and awkwardly hug her, offering any comfort I can.

She gives me a small smile as I pull back. "All the guys welcomed me from the first moment I walked into N.W.E."

"What's that?" Everlee speaks up.

"It's the real name of The Company," I explain, then ask Jenny excitedly, "Do you know what it stands for?"

"No." She laughs. "Nobody does. Except Gabe."

"Why did you start working here?" I ask, taking advantage of the time I have to ask questions.

"Gabe saved my life. Not just from the vampires, but he got me off the streets and helped me finish school. He gave me a job. I owe him everything." She sighs wistfully. "Once I started here, Drew started teasing me like he does, Ryker helped me feel at home, Gabe kept giving me more and more responsibility, and pretty soon, this place is more of a home to me than my apartment and the guys are the first family I've had in years."

Everlee and I are both at a loss for what to say to that, but luckily, Jenny doesn't seem to need us to say anything. "Anyway, I came to show you the meeting room we set up for you to get some rest."

"Oh, um…" I look down at Ryker.

"I'll go," Everlee suggests.

Jenny and Everlee leave, and I sit quietly and hold Ryker's hand.

Everlee returns after just a few minutes. As soon as she walks in, my phone rings.

It's Gabe. "Can you come to my office? I have an issue."

"Um…" I look down at Ryker.

"I'll stay with him," Everlee offers.

"I'll be right there," I say to Gabe.

I hang up, give Everlee a grateful smile, and hurry down the hall. The door to his office is open, Gabe is pacing behind his desk, and Serena is sitting calmly in one of the chairs.

"Serena." I rush towards her. "What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She smiles at me.

"What's going on?" I look from her to Gabe. "How did you find us?"

"I traced your phone," she says without hesitation, and my mouth drops open a little in surprise. "I'm a bit of an IT whiz. You should turn that thing off if you don't want people to find you."

I nod, and start to say, 'I will’, but Gabe cuts me off.

"She wants to join the team," he says, gesturing to Serena.

She gives him a bright smile, and he narrows his eyes at her.

"That's your emergency?" My eyebrows shoot up.

"I didn't say emergency, I said I had an issue." He runs a hand over his head.

"Because she's a woman?" I guess, and he flinches.

"Of course not," Gabe starts, but Serena interrupts.

"You're a woman," she says to me.

"I'm not on the team." I don't point out that I'm also a vampire.

"You were last night," she says coolly.

"It's not because you're a freaking woman!" Gabe shouts. "I've been in combat with hundreds of women. It's because you're young and green and this is dangerous work. Not to mention you've just been through a traumatic experience, and I think you're just reacting to that." He huffs out a breath and turns to me. "Can you talk some sense into her?"

I narrow my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "Why would I do that? I haven't seen an IT guy around here, and she tracked me in under twenty-four hours. Surely you could use someone like that."

He sighs and plops into his chair. "Great, another one."

"Plus, she's hot, so she'll fit right into your physical requirements," I joke.

"Being hot isn't a requirement," he growls, and Serena hides a chuckle with a cough.

"Could have fooled me." I shrug. Then I sigh. "It's the twenty-first century, Gabe, not everything is fought on the battlefield anymore. She might be able to dig up some great intel, internet vampire sites or something. I don't know much about technology," I add apologetically to Serena.

"I could teach you. I know more than enough," she says excitedly.

"I would love that, but I don't know how long I'm here for." I frown.

"The great thing about technology is you can do it from anywhere. As long as there's internet and a screen, we can video chat, and I can teach you anything."

"That would be awesome." I return her smile.

Her energy is infectious, and I won't lie, I love learning new things. I can work my phone, and I can run my business on my computer, but that's about it.

"Christ," Gabe mutters.

"Hey Boss, Zeke and the guys wanna know where you want them." Drew saunters in and then pauses when he sees Serena. "Aren't you one of the girls from yesterday?"

She nods and gives him a cute little finger wave.

"I thought so. You look a lot like Fox. That's why I remembered you. You two could be sisters. I'm Drew." He shakes her hand, but she's looking at me, and I'm looking at her. We really do have very similar features.

"Tell the guys to go to the conference room, I'll be right there," Gabe says to Drew. "Fox will you show Serena out?"

I frown. Serena frowns and opens her mouth to protest.

Gabe holds up his hand to stop her. "We have some shit going on right now, and I just can't have a rookie in house until we get it cleaned up. I'll take your proposition under advisement and call you as soon as I can."

She narrows her eyes slightly but then nods. "I just want to help. If I can prevent someone being attacked, like you guys did for me, then I'll sleep better knowing that vampires are real. I'm not asking to go out in the field or be trained as a gun for hire or anything crazy."

Gabe glares at her. "If you were, I would have thrown you out on your ass immediately."

Drew snickers.

"I suppose I should be grateful that you didn't anyway?" She lifts an eyebrow and glares back at him.

"What does she want to do then?" Drew asks, having missed that part of the conversation.

"IT," I supply.

"Don't you have work to do?" Gabe barks at Drew.

I've never seen Gabe so disagreeable, and it's quite amusing. He's cautious and skeptical, but not usually so cranky. I wonder if it's the idea of IT or Serena herself that's bothering him.

"Weren't we just talking about breaking into the cyber sector, Boss?" Drew says cheerfully and winks at Serena.

"Get out," Gabe growls.

Drew chuckles and waves before turning and strolling from the office.

Gabe turns back to Serena. "I will think about it. I will call you. That's the best you're going to get from me today."

Serena nods. "Fine." She stands and heads towards the door before tossing over her shoulder, "See you soon, Boss."

Gabe scowls at her retreating form.

I hide my smile with my hand. "I like her. She's got spunk."

"That's all I need." He rolls his eyes. "I have enough trouble with Drew and… well, pretty much all the guys. I do not need a spunky, little blonde running around here."

"So it's the spunky blonde, and not the IT thing that concerns you?" I give him a knowing smile.

"Christ, don't start." He frowns.

"How did Jenny join the team?" I hitch my thumb over my shoulder to where Jenny's desk sits in the lobby. "She's young and probably green, as you say."

"I stumbled upon her one night being attacked by a vampire." He purses his lips. "The rest of the story isn't mine to tell, but basically, I wasn't able to get rid of her afterwards, and now she practically runs my business. See what helping young, innocent women gets me? Nothing but trouble." He says the last part to himself.

I find it very interesting how Jenny's story differs from Gabe's. He must be too modest to admit the full extent of how he changed her life.

Gabe eyes me curiously as I continue to sit and watch him. "Did you need something?"

"With everything that happened, you know dying and all, plus Ryker's situation, I forgot to ask who got the kill shot," I explain.

"Drew did." He gives a half-smile. "I don't know if he's picked out a car yet, but I'm sure he won't ask about it until you're ready."

"Who won the pot?" I ask, referring to the side bet they had going.

"I did." He smiles widely. "I had a feeling you and Ryker would get distracted by something. Or each other."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I deadpan.

"Was I wrong?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Not entirely," I sigh. "I need to get back to Ryker."

"Did you plan to turn him?" he asks suddenly.

"No!" I shriek. Then I clear my throat and speak more calmly. "Honestly, the thought never crossed my mind. I've never turned anyone before, and it's not something I would want for Ryker or anyone. But after I woke up and saw what he did… and then he was dying, I didn't have a choice."

"I don't know if he's going to be happy about it." He frowns. "I would be pissed."

"I'll remember that if the time ever comes to choose between turning you and letting you die." I tilt my head at him.

"Do that." He nods, serious. "Luckily for you, Ryker isn't me and he loves you, so it might be okay."

"We won't know until he wakes up," I sigh again. My eyes burn, and I can feel the days of no sleep catching up to me. But I don't care, I want to be there when Ryker wakes up. "If there's nothing else right now, you know where to find me. I guess I'll turn off my phone."

He nods, and I head back down to the little medical room. Everlee is sitting quietly, and Ryker is still unconscious.

"We have to turn off our phones," I tell Everlee, grabbing my phone and turning it off. "They can be traced."

"Someone traced you here?" she says with wide eyes as she pulls her phone out and turns it off.

"Yeah, Serena." I chuckle. "Apparently she's good with technology and wants to join the bad vampire hunting efforts."

"Good for her." She smiles. "Gotta love a woman with balls."

I laugh and it feels good.

Then her smile falters. "I wish I was brave."

"You just left The Community and everything you know," I point out. "That definitely takes balls."

"Who has balls?" Zeke asks from the doorway.

"Everlee." I point to her, and she blushes.

"I'd like to see that." He grins, and we laugh.

"So how'd you let Drew get the shot?" I ask to make conversation. He's a pretty quiet guy and not easy to get to know.

"Some fucker came out of the closet, and I turned to take him out." He shrugs. "I don't need a car anyways. I prefer my hog."

"You have a motorcycle?" Everlee asks.

"He builds custom motorcycles," I supply. "Built one for all the guys."

"I'd love to see," she says.

"I bet you'd look real nice on a motorcycle," he flirts.

"I don't know how to drive a motorcycle," she admits coyly.

"That's okay." He winks. "You can ride on the back of mine."

"I hope you're not hitting on Fox," Drew says, pushing into the room and bumping shoulders with Zeke.

"Think I got a death wish?" Zeke says looking down at Ryker.

"I hear congratulations are in order," I say to Drew. "Have you picked out a car, yet?"

"No." He looks sheepish. "You don't have to buy me a car. I was happy to take the fucker out."

"Yes, I do," I say emphatically. "I said I would, and I don't break promises."

"You'd better believe her," Everlee chimes in. "She's nothing if not persistent. It'll be easier for you to just go along with it."

"Thanks, Ev," I say flatly, and she shrugs.

"What about a truck?" Zeke says to Drew.

"Hell no, I don't need to be compensating for anything," he says automatically and then looks at us apologetically. "Plus, I don't have anything to haul around so it'd be kind of a waste."

"I see you more as a muscle car kind of guy," I say.

"That'd be pretty sweet." He nods. "I'll think about it. I came to see if you wanted me to sit with Ryker for a minute so you could sleep or something."

"That's why I came," Zeke says.

I want to say no, that I'll stay with him, but I have a feeling the guys want to sit with him, and I really could use some sleep.

"Will you come get me if he wakes up?" I ask them.

"Yes," they both answer.

"I really could use a nap," I admit.

"You need to eat," Everlee says, and then looks awkwardly at the guys. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Drew says, waving away her discomfort.

"We get it," Zeke adds. "Go ahead, Fox. We'll sit with him in shifts. The twins and Keegan and Russell are guarding the fort. Derek is working on increasing surveillance and security."

"Sounds good," I say. "I'm really sorry about giving you guys all this added stress. It wasn't supposed to go down like this."

"Shit happens." Drew gives me a warm smile. "We got your back."

"I really appreciate it." I give them each a quick hug, and they both tense, but hug me back awkwardly, which makes me chuckle.

Everlee and I go to get some blood and then go to the meeting room to lie down. I remind myself it'll be another day or two before Ryker wakes up, and I pass out as soon as my head touches the pillow.

***

When I wake up, Everlee is awake, sitting on her cot, staring out the window.

"How long have I been out?" I stand and stretch.

"Almost a day." She smiles at me when I flinch. "You were tired. You need to take care of yourself too."

I rush to my bag and start searching for clothes. "Is he awake?"

"No. We would have woken you. So you can slow down. Take a hot shower. Get a pint of blood. Then go see him."

"You're a good friend." I smile at her. I find clothes, zip my bag back up and go down to the locker rooms at the gym to shower and dress. I down a pint of blood and run to the medical room.

I sit with Ryker. Zeke, Drew and Gabe all come to give me breaks and sit with him. The rest of the guys all come in to visit and see him. Jenny stops in periodically to talk and we get to know her a little better.

Time passes slowly. There's no sign of The Community and everyone is getting restless.

***

It's been four days since the night we took down Sato, and I'm getting more and more concerned that Ryker hasn't woken up yet. I keep that information to myself, but I know the others feel my snarky mood.

"Emma." Everlee stands with her hand on my shoulder as I sit by Ryker's bed, and I know I'm not going to like this conversation by the use of my real name.

"I don't want to talk about it," I say immediately.

"What if he doesn't turn?" she asks anyways.

"I said I don't want to talk about it," I snap.

"We have to talk about it eventually," she sighs. "We can't stay here forever."

"I know that, Ev. I do. Just give it another day. We'll have the talk tomorrow."

"Fine. I'm going for a walk around."

I nod, and she leaves. I run my hands over Ryker's hair, down his neck to his shoulders and arms. Tears form in my eyes and fall down my cheeks.

I knew there was a chance it wouldn't work. There were too many variables. Not to mention I've never turned anyone before.

I crawl up on the bed and lay with my hip on the cot and my body draped over Ryker. I don't try to hold back the tears. I cry for Ryker, but I mostly cry for myself. I just found him, and I'm not ready to lose him.

I'm going to have to learn how to let go. I'm going to have to find somewhere safe for Everlee and I to go. We'll be fine, I'm sure. We're both strong and smart, and we'll figure out what we need to do to survive.

Ryker's hand comes up and runs over my back. "Emma?"

"Ryker?" I gasp and look up at his face.

He blinks at me.

"You're awake!"

"Yeah." He chuckles.

I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks.

"What's wrong, baby? What happened?" He looks around the room. "Why am I in medical? Did we get Sato?" He moves to sit up, but I put a hand on him to slow his efforts.

"Slowly. You've been out for a few days, you might be weak."

"A few days?" He frowns. "What the fuck happened? Why can't I remember anything?"

"It will come back to you." I run my hands over his arms and chest, needing to touch him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be better if you keep that up." He gives me a flirty smile, and I grin.

"Fox, Gabe wants you." Drew charges in and then freezes, looking from me to Ryker and breaking out in a wide smile. "You're awake! Damn, brother, it's good to see you up."

Drew turns and yells out the door. "He's awake! He's awake!" Then he comes back in. "That should do it."

Sure enough, a second later, Zeke, Gabe and Everlee burst through the door. Ryker sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. I crawl off the bed and stand.

"You give him the kiss of life, Fox?" Zeke teases.

"Hey, it worked." I smirk.

"That's all that matters," Gabe says and comes forward to pat Ryker on the shoulder. "Good to have you back, Gunny."

"Thanks," Ryker says with confusion. "Will someone please tell me what happened?"

"You don't remember?" Gabe frowns and looks at me.

"Amnesia is common," I explain. "He'll get his memory back with time."

"Great." Ryker claps his hands together, getting our attention. "In the meantime, someone tell me why I'm in medical. I feel great." He looks down at his body and feels his chest. "I didn't get shot. Did I hit my head or something?"

"Ran into a door," Drew quips with a sly smile.

"Got hit by a girl," Zeke gets in on the teasing.

"A little one," Drew adds, and they both snicker.

"Hey," I say with my hands on my hips.

"Sorry, Fox," they both say, hiding their smirks.

"You two are idiots." Ryker shakes his head and then notices the bandage on his wrist.

He frowns and pulls the corner off to see it. The wound is healed, but you can see the bite mark. It will always be there.

His eyes narrow, and his voice drops low. "Can you guys give us a minute alone?"

"Sure," Gabe says and gestures to the others. "Come on, guys."

Everlee follows the guys out of the room, leaving us alone. I sit in the chair and wait for Ryker to piece it together.

"I don't know what to ask first," he says finally.

"I find it's usually best to start with the simplest question," I suggest.

"Am I a vampire?" he blurts and looks up from the wound.

His eyes flash with anger as he assesses my reaction. I knew it was coming, but I flinch anyway.

"Yes," I admit.

"What the fuck!" he yells, jumps off the cot and starts pacing the floor in front of me. "How the fuck did this happen? Who fucking turned me? What the fuck kind of vampire bites a person on the wrist? What the fuck happened?"

I sit quietly as he rants and swears.

Then he turns to face me slowly and his eyes widen in understanding. "You did."

"Yes," I confess softly.

"Why?" His voice is low again now, but it seems even worse than the yelling. "Why did you do this? Did you think I would want this?"

"No." I shake my head adamantly. "Please, Ryker, you have to understand."

"No, I don't." He slashes his hand through the air. "I don't understand. I can't believe you would do this. What was it, Fox, huh?"

I grimace at the use of my nickname. He always calls me Emma when we're alone.

"Was I not good enough for you as a human?"

"No. Of course not." I plead for his understanding with my eyes, but he's started pacing again and doesn't seem interested in listening to reason.

"I trusted you," he snarls. "Fuck, I'm an idiot. Why didn't you just turn me that first night, huh? Too easy? Gotta make the poor bastard fall in love with you first?"

"Please, Ryker." Tears flood my eyes and run down my cheeks.

"Now she fucking cries," he scoffs. "Must be some good parlor trick. I didn't see those tears when you told me about the war and Sato. Funny how they don't show up with that kind of story, but they run freely now."

"You don't understand." I raise from the chair and put my hands up to try to calm him.

"Fucking right I don't." He backs away from me, turns on his heel and storms out the door.

I bring my hands to my face and cry unabashedly. I knew Ryker wouldn't want to be a vampire, but I did what I thought I had to do to keep him. Turns out, I lost him anyway.

There's nothing left to do, except collect Everlee and get the hell out of Denver.