Chapter 17
Katherine POV
I stood at my bedroom window, enhanced senses stretching beyond the peeling paint and cracked glass. Samuel's voice carried through the evening air from the forest preserve, discussing strange creatures prowling the boundaries between North Portland and the East Side with someone I couldn't identify.
"They're moving in packs, crossing territorial markers without permission," Samuel's voice floated clearly to me, despite the distance.
I immediately grabbed my phone, texting both Caspian and Daisy. Within minutes, Daisy responded, assuring me no elves were active in that area. That could only mean one thing—the "Pure Blood Alliance" was making its move in Portland.
A chill ran through me. These creatures wouldn't respect the Peace Accord's careful zoning of Portland. They'd attack when the triplets were most vulnerable, and I couldn't let that happen.
Downstairs, the front door slammed. My mother was home. The familiar clanging of pots and breaking dishes echoed up the stairwell as Mary took out her frustrations in the kitchen. David's heavy footsteps followed, his slurred voice vibrating through the floorboards.
"What the fuck are you doing? I was sleeping!"
"There's no clean dishes! How am I supposed to make dinner?" Mary shouted back, her words slightly slurred from whatever she'd been drinking at the bar.
"Not my fucking job!"
Their argument escalated until Mary finally grabbed her purse. "I'm going to eat downtown. You can fucking starve for all I care!"
The door slammed again. In the silence that followed, I heard David's angry mumbling and his footsteps on the stairs. FIRE pulsed beneath my skin as I quickly locked my bedroom door.
David's fist pounded against the wood. "Katherine! Open this door!"
I sat motionless on my bed, wincing as it creaked beneath me. The doorknob rattled violently, followed by a forceful kick that splintered the already damaged frame.
Control. Restraint. Focus. I repeated the mantra in my head as I grabbed my backpack and slipped through the window. I climbed down the same tree Samuel had used to spy on me, landing softly on the patchy grass below.
As I prepared to cross the broken sidewalk toward the forest preserve, a sleek black Bentley turned into our dilapidated driveway. The contrast between the luxury vehicle and our decaying house was almost comical.
A tall, well-dressed man emerged, his movements fluid and precise as he approached our front door. I circled around, catching his scent—the unmistakable cold sweetness of vampire.
David yanked the door open, mouth already forming angry words, but froze when he saw our visitor. The man stepped back slightly, perfectly polite yet completely unintimidated.
"Lance!" I called out, recognizing him instantly. I ran forward and threw myself into his arms, relief washing over me.
"Katherine," he smiled, returning my embrace. "You've grown."
"What are you doing here?" I asked, pulling back to study his unchanged face.
"I came to see your mother, actually." His eyes flickered toward the house. "Where were you rushing off to?"
I glanced at David hovering in the doorway. "Just heading for a hike along the coast."
Lance raised an eyebrow. "At this hour? The coastal path isn't safe after dark."
"Let's grab dinner instead," I suggested, tugging him back toward his car.
Once safely inside the Bentley's leather interior, Lance nodded toward David. "So that's your stepfather."
"Portland East Side trash," I muttered. "Construction site failure."
"Is he good to you?" Lance asked, his voice carefully neutral.
"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to," I replied, looking out the window.
His eyes caught the stitches on my face, and I saw the flash of fangs as his lips tightened. "Did he—"
"I did these myself. Different incident."
"Is Mary still drinking? Even while working at the bar?"
"She never stopped."
Lance drove us to a high-end restaurant in downtown Portland. We settled at a table near the window, and I stared awkwardly at the extensive menu.
"Why are you really in Portland?" I asked after we ordered.
"I missed you both," he said simply.
I scoffed. "You and Mom weren't exactly friendly when you split."
His perfect features softened. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. You've always been like a daughter to me. I heard you enrolled at Portland Public High."
Movement outside caught my attention. Bella and her friends stood on the sidewalk, phones raised, taking pictures. Bella's smug smile gleamed in the streetlights.
"Friends of yours?" Lance asked.
"Hardly. That's Bella, the queen bee of Portland High."
"She seems quite interested in who you're dining with."
"No doubt those photos will be sent to everyone by morning," I sighed.
"Is that a problem?"
I laughed. "Actually, it works in my favor. People will think I'm more interesting than they realized."
"You still have that survival instinct," Lance noted approvingly. "Using every situation to your advantage."
"Bella's been targeting me since day one. She's just digging herself deeper. Being seen with a Portland nightlife celebrity isn't exactly embarrassing for me."
"I'm glad you haven't changed," Lance smiled. "You're perfect just as you are."
After dinner, Lance drove me home. Mary was in the driveway when we pulled up, her eyes widening at the sight of the Bentley.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing here?" she screamed as Lance stepped out.
"See you tomorrow," he said quietly to me. "My apartment at three, after school? I'll be free after seven."
I nodded and slipped past my raging mother, heading straight to my room. Once inside, I activated MIND, blocking out the shouting.
My phone screen lit up with messages. Jasmine had texted repeatedly: \[Who's the hot older guy? Everyone's talking about the pics. Call me NOW!\]
I sank onto my bed, realization dawning. The triplets had seen the photos and were using Jasmine to check on me without raising suspicions.
My carefully constructed facade was crumbling. The walls between my worlds were getting thinner every day, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep everyone in the dark about who I really was—or why I'd come to Portland.