Chapter 82 Ch. 52
Zara blinked, her heart still pounding. "What the hell?" she said. "What the hell is all this?"
Ethan stepped forward, his voice rough. "No."
"A life depends on it!" Dylan roared. "A life that was almost taken by your father."
Ethan ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "This is about Ivanna. That's why you were in the archives."
"What the hell?" she yelled. The two of them snapped their heads towards her in that instant. "Ethan? What..." She trailed off, confusion evident in her expression.
"Please," Dylan begged, eyes watery as he went to his knees. His hands reached up to take her gently. "It's the only chance to save my girlfriend. Ivanna, she... She means..."
"The journalist... Neon 24... She's... She's dead, the serial killings... What we went to the station to be investigated for after Yvette, what do you mean save her? She's dead." Her throat ached and her stomach throbbed where Lorenzo had struck her, every breath dragging against the rawness.
"Ivanna isn’t gone. I stole her body from the police station morgue. Because there was a one percent chance. I took her to a witch I know and she’s in a magic coma. There is still a chance to bring her back, but I need your blood to do it... Mine... It isn't strong enough."
Zara pressed a hand against the sink to steady herself. "You stole her body? You’re serious?" Her voice cracked with disbelief. "That’s insane."
Everything about today after the race had been insane.
"It was the only way," Dylan said. "Your blood is different. You are a catalyst... That difference can pull her back. Please, Zara, anything you want... A hundred thousand? Five hundred thousand... Name it. Just a few drops, I'm begging and I swear I'll disappear from your life."
Ethan shook his head, eyes sharp with alarm. "No. You shouldn’t even be asking her. It’s dangerous."
Zara’s chest tightened as she searched Dylan’s face. "And this will help her?" she asked. She could see something in his eyes—a quiet, desperate love that didn’t need words. And it was all because of Lorenzo... The man who had just tried to kill her. If she could help one life almost taken by this monster of a man... She would take the chance.
Dylan nodded. "I swear it will."
Zara let out a slow breath, feeling the ache in her throat and the pounding in her head. "Fine," she said softly. "Tomorrow evening. Meet me at the old track field behind the school. You don't have to pay me."
Dylan’s shoulders eased. He stood, stepped forward, and hugged her tightly. "Thank you," he said, then turned to Ethan without another word and walked out, closing the door with a quiet click.
The bathroom fell silent again except for the rush of water from the tap that had been running since. She closed it and sighed.
Ethan stood beside her, but neither of them spoke. The silence stretched until it felt like the room itself was holding back.
"Zara," Ethan said at last. "I’m sorry."
"Don’t," she said.
He reached for her but stopped when she stepped aside.
Anger began to burn through the fog in her mind. She turned to face him. "Your father," she said. "Dylan said he almost killed Ivanna. That means he’s the one who’s been murdering people. The ones drained of blood. No sign of struggle. Just a bite on the neck. He's the serial killer. All of them blondes. What is his obsession with blondes? Or is it a coincidence that only blondes have found out your clan's secret? Was everything to protect your clan? Taking the lives of innocent and—" she trailed off, biting her lips and shaking her head as she looked at him.
Ethan winced and looked away. "It isn’t like that. He isn’t behind all of it."
"Not all?" Her voice rose. "But he did kill Ivanna and you expect me to believe he's not getting off on killing people."
He let out a slow breath. "Yes. But it wasn’t because of the motel or her investigation. She found out about us—about vampires. Dylan tried to compel her to forget, but she wrote everything down and remembered. My father killed her to keep the clan secret. That’s it. It wasn't about Yvette, it wasn't about the motel... None of the deaths are connected, it has nothing to do with serial killing or the fact that they are blondes," Ethan said. "Think about it, Zara. Why has no one else died since?"
"Why should I believe you!" she yelled, her eyes turning red. "Why should I believe you, Ethan? You've never given me a reason to! And for all I know maybe you conspired with him to kill me, maybe you..."
"I swear by everything I live by... Ivanna and that's it, and I would never do that to you!" He held her shoulders firmly but gently, looking into her eyes. "You heard my uncle... I'm bonded to you, Zara, if you die, I die. So tell me, why would I?"
"Then who killed the others?" she screeched, grabbing him by his chest and shaking him. "Was it you? Your father? Damn it! Say something."
"I don't know. I swear, I don't. You have to believe me, Zara."
"I'm not stupid, Ethan," she pushed him off. "The same bite mark, blood drain, and..." She trailed off, her eyes still locked on his. "Oh my God," she gasped, as realization dawned on her.
"Another vampire killed Yvette," she said slowly. "Who are you protecting?"
"No one," Ethan said, but his eyes flicked away.
"The other deaths," she pressed. "They were vampires. Who are you protecting?" Her voice broke as the thought formed. "Your cousin," she whispered. "Prunella. She killed Yvette... That's what you insinuated in the van that other day... That's what you two were discussing outside the station before I came out, and let me guess..." Her voice sounded bitter. "She killed the lady at the motel."
"No. Only Yvette. I promise, Prunella is not the monster you think she is." he said quickly. "She was scared, Zara. She was terrified. Yvette saw her after school and for once! For once Prunella decided to stand up for herself and God knows I am proud of her for not letting Yvette walk all over her!"
He took in a breath and stepped back. "But then it got complicated. She was hungry, starved... And you've been around her recently... You know she's anorexic, Zee. Picking around at her food... Even with blood she counts the fucking calories in human blood. And you know what happens when a vampire starves themselves of the one thing that keeps them alive."
"She lost control," Zara said quietly, a tear dropping from her eyes. "And how many more times will your kind lose control and kill more humans?"
"Don't let this change the way you see Prunella," Ethan said, taking her hand. "It's not like we want to be who we are most times— I for one don't want to be... This... I want to be anything but the heir to my clan. To be a blood-sucking killer and..."
Zara held his gaze, reading the small tremors in his expression, but he would not meet her eyes.
She was conflicted within herself, but suddenly, she found herself pulling him into a hug.
+++++++
When she left the bathroom, there were several missed calls and texts from her Dad who had apparently searched everywhere for her. She jogged towards the parking lot where her dad was waiting by the car, leaning against the door.
“Where have you been all this time?” he asked.
“I just want to go home,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “I’m tired of everything today.”
He nodded and opened the car door. She slid in, shut the door, and stared out the window while he started the engine. She wondered how long she was gone for because everyone was already packing up and there was no sign of her team.
The road was quiet except for the hum of the tires. She rested her cheek on the cool glass, her mind running in circles as she remembered the bathroom encounter.
“Dad,” she said after a while.
“Yeah?”
“What was Mom’s name?”
He glanced at her, then back to the road. “Her name was May."
"Did she have any other name?"
"May Samar? Her last name was Ellis. Why do you ask about her now?”
Zara kept her eyes on the dark sky. “Why did she really leave?”
He let out a small sound, something between a sigh and a laugh. “I can’t say for certain.”
“I’ve always hated her for leaving me,” she said. “But what if she left to protect me, to protect us, because she thought disappearing would make our lives easier?”
He shrugged, still watching the road ahead. “It hasn’t made mine easier, but how would I know why she left when she’s been gone since the moment you were born?”
The car stayed silent for a long time. Zara watched the streets blur.
“Why are you suddenly asking?” he said at last.
“It’s nothing,” she replied quietly.
They said nothing else until they reached home. Zara got out, climbed the steps, and went straight to her room. She sat on the edge of her bed, her hands clasped together. The house felt too still. Thoughts moved through her head with no order.
Her phone lit up with a text from Noah.
You disappeared right after the race. You okay?
Yeah, she typed back. Can I come over?
The reply came fast. I’m on my way to yours already.
Zara set the phone aside and took a quick shower, then she changed her clothes and sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard. A few minutes later she heard the front door open and voices from downstairs. Another few minutes and the sound of steps came up the staircase.
There was a knock.
"Come in," she called.
“Heyyy,” Noah said, stepping in with a small grin. “You look… like a mess?”
She gave a dry chuckle. “Today was crazy.”
He walked farther into the room and sat on the bed, leaning back until he was almost lying down.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked.
Zara lay down beside him and rested her head on his chest. He put an arm around her and held her close.
“No,” she said.
Tears came before she could stop them. They slid across her face, warm against her skin. She didn’t know why she was crying, only that she couldn’t hold it back.