Chapter 16

The Culling…

When I’m positive I can’t possibly throw up anything else, I twist around and ease onto the bench. I curl into the fetal position and stay that way until Spencer eventually stops the boat and drops anchor.

“Everleigh?” Spencer kneels next to the bench and smooths my sweat drenched hair from my forehead. “You okay?”

Fresh tears spill down my face. “No.” My voice is shaky, and my throat is raw.

I’m not okay now, and I’m not sure I’ll be okay ever again. If I didn’t need therapy to deal with my parents’ divorce, I’m definitely going to need it now to get past everything I’d witnessed today.

Spencer sits on the bench and gathers me in his arms. I bury my face against his chest and cling to him. Of all the people in the world to offer me comfort like this, I never dreamed that person would be Spencer, but deep down, I don’t want anyone else here with me right now. Because despite everything, I know that Spencer will never abandon me or let anything bad happen to me.

He rubs my back and presses a kiss to the top of my head, and I burrow closer. “Everything’s going to be okay,” he says softly.

I desperately want to believe him, but how can I? Neither of us have any idea what’s going on, who’s responsible, or how to handle the situation. Regardless of all that, I vow right then to be there for him the same way he is for me, and I don’t care what my friends might think or say.

“I wanna go home,” I say.

He sighs, pulls away from me, and rakes his fingers through his hair. “We can’t. Not yet.”

I straighten. “Why not?”

“Because I need to know if this has happened elsewhere.” He doesn’t look at me when he answers, but I don’t miss the dread in his tone or the tension in his body.

“What?” I say slowly, unease coursing through my veins.

Spencer pushes to his feet with a curse. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not yet.” He shakes his head. “We’re not ready. I need to call my father.” And then he vanishes below deck before I can gather a coherent thought.

The hair on the back of my neck stands on edge, and goosebumps race along my arms. I sit there, stunned and confused. A moment later, Spencer returns with what looks like a combination of a cell phone from the 80s and a walkie talkie. He’s frantically pressing buttons.

“I thought you said you didn’t have a phone,” I say.

“I don’t.” He continues to fiddle with the thing in his hand. “This is a sat phone. Strictly for emergencies.” Turning his back to me, he lifts the phone to his ear. “Dad? Yeah, it’s started.” Spencer nods a few times, then says, “Everywhere?” He hangs his head. “I’m with Everleigh. She’s safe.” Another nod, and then he ends the call.

I stand, march up to Spencer, and get in his face. “What the hell is going on, Spencer? What’s started?”

He cringes as if he doesn’t want to tell me, but he’s insane if he thinks he can get away without answering me. I can be impossible when I really want something, and right now, I want answers. I cross my arms and glare at him with impatience.

“The culling,” he says.

“The what?”

He tosses the satellite phone onto the captain’s chair and laces his hands on top of his head. He blows out a breath, a clear sign he’s attempting to stall, but I refuse to give up until he answers me.

“Spencer?” I raise a brow.

“I have no idea where to start.” He gives a self-deprecating laugh and shakes his head.

“The beginning is usually a good place,” I say, my tone full of sarcasm. I shift on my feet, still waiting for some sort of answer or explanation.

Finally, he looks at me, and his eyes are full of dread and regret and something else I can’t pinpoint. My stomach once again twists, and I’m suddenly not sure I want to know what’s going on.

“There’s a war going on, and we’re in the middle of it,” he says.

I stare at him, blink, then laugh. For a few moments, I thought something was seriously wrong, but he’s just messing with me. I’m not sure if I should be angry with him or not. He had me going, though, I’ll give him credit for that.

“This isn’t funny, Everleigh. I’m serious.” And his expression matches his tone.

My laughter dies, and I clear my throat. “A war?”

He nods.

“Then why hasn’t there been anything on the news about this? Who’s at war?”

“Vampires.”

I drop my arms to my sides, and my eyes widen, but not in shock. In disbelief. Does Spencer really think I’m that stupid? Or gullible? Anger replaces all other emotion, and I curl my hands into fists.

“If you don’t want to tell me the truth, then just say so, but stop making up stupid stories. I’m not an idiot, Spencer.” I shove past him, intent to hide below deck until we get home.

Spencer clutches my elbow, stopping me. “I’m not making up stories. Vampires are real, and the two species are at war. What we saw back there” —he stabs his finger in the direction of the last town— “was the start of it.”

I jerk out of his hold and cross my arms again. “You sound crazy, you know that, right?”

He scowls. “I know, but I’m not a liar. Not about this.” He gives a hard shake of his head, and his scowl deepens.

A silent stare off ensues. I have so many questions, but I don’t want to ask any of them because I don’t want to encourage him and this… fantasy he’s created. Yet, on the other hand, I can’t help but think he’s actually telling the truth. When Spencer lies, he usually won’t make direct eye contact; he’ll stare a hair to the left of my eyes. And he’s not doing that right now.

“Vampires are real?” I say slowly, more for my benefit than his. My mind is spinning so fast I can’t think straight.

“Yes.” He rakes his trembling hand through his hair.

“And how do you know that they’re real?”

He focuses his gaze on me, his stare steady and unflinching. “Because I am one.”

I blink, unable to comprehend the words he just spoke. “You’re a vampire?” I finally say, and as soon as the words leave my mouth, I want to laugh and scream and cry all at the same time. I have to be dreaming, right? No way is any of this real.

“Yes.”

Something inside of me snaps, and I pace away from him. “Okay, that’s enough. Knock it off.” I turn and glare at him. “I’ve known you almost my entire life. If you were a vampire, I think I’d know it.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” He takes a cautious step toward me, then stops suddenly, holding his hands up in surrender. “There’s so much you don’t know. Please let me explain.”

I narrow my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. The boat rocks slightly, but thankfully, I don’t stumble or lose my balance. I can’t shake the feeling Spencer is messing with me, but why? We both saw those dead bodies and the deserted town. Clearly, something is going on. Vampires, though? That’s farfetched even for Spooky Spence.

“There are two types of vampires. Those who are born, and those who are bitten,” he says. His voice is steady. He drops his arms to his sides, but he doesn’t attempt to move any closer to me. “I’m a Born vampire.”

I snort. “Now I know you’re lying. Vampires can’t have kids.”

Spencer rolls his eyes. “You can’t believe everything you see on TV.” He sounds offended, but I don’t care. He has to know how insane all of this sounds. “The vampire gene is passed on from the male. My father is a vampire, too.”

My heart begins to thud harder and faster. If this is all just one big joke, why is Spencer taking it this far, especially when I’ve called him out already? Is he telling me the truth? Nothing about his demeanor screams deception. My pulse pounds, and I swallow hard.

“You’re really a vampire?” I ask.

“Yes,” he says with total conviction. “I was born with the vampire gene, and when I turned sixteen, I matured and became a full vampire. Prior to then, I was completely and totally normal. Human, just like you.”

I take a few steps back and flop down onto the bench. This can’t be real. My thoughts are cloudy, but I shove the confusion away and focus on the guy in front of me. Spencer Vaughn. My once best friend—my only friend—the guy I’ve somehow managed to fall for this past week.

Tilting my head, I study him. He went from thin and lanky to muscular and self-confident seemingly overnight. Becoming a mature vampire certainly explains his sudden transformation. I clench my jaw as reality sets in. I’m stuck on a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan with a friggin’ vampire.

Confusion and disbelief swirl into an overwhelming cocktail of fear and adrenaline. I wrack my brain trying to remember everything I’ve ever learned about vampires… Fast. Strong. Deadly. Drinks blood. Wide-eyed, my gaze snaps up to Spencer’s. I yank my legs onto the bench and scoot back as far as I can go.

Understanding flashes in his eyes. “Everleigh…” he says, his tone a mixture of sadness and desperation. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I never said you were,” I say in a pathetic attempt to keep him talking, and hopefully, to distract him from thinking about drinking my blood. I shudder.

He sighs. “You don’t have to. I can smell your fear.” He moves to sit on the bench, too, though he sits on the opposite end, leaving plenty of room between us. “I can hear your heart beating, your racing pulse, the blood rushing through your veins.” Propping his elbows on his knees, he hangs his head, fingers laced behind his neck.

I hug my knees to my chest and keep my gaze on him, too horrified to look away. Not that I think Spencer will intentionally hurt me or anything, but I can’t take my eyes off him. He’s the little boy I used to make mud pies with, who would always beat me in tag, who was by my side for my entire childhood. My first real crush. My first kiss. My most recent, hottest kiss…

The color drains from my face, and I rest my head on my knees. Dizziness swarms me, and I breathe steadily for several moments. When I lift my head, Spencer is watching me with sad eyes and an even sadder expression. My heart splinters, and I have to fight the urge to throw my arms around him and tell him everything will be okay.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “Please don’t be afraid of me. I’m the same guy you’ve always known. I just happen to have certain… skills other people don’t.”

I nod, unsure of what to say to that. How can I not be afraid of him? He’s a creature of lore, a blood drinker. My stomach knots, and I clear my throat. “Do you drink blood?”

“Yes.” He once again hangs his head. “But I don’t bite anyone, and I’ve never killed anyone, either. We drink strictly from blood bags and…” He cringes. “Volunteers.”

My ears ring. “Volunteers?”

“Humans who know of our existence and offer their blood to us.”

I force back a gag. “Who would do that?”

“You’d be surprised,” he mutters.

A laugh bubbles up unexpectedly, and I slap my hand over my mouth. I no longer think I’m dreaming, or that none of this is real, but I’m still having an impossible time wrapping my mind around everything Spencer is telling me. Legs tingling with restlessness, I stand and pace.

“So, you’re a Born vampire who drinks from blood bags and volunteers,” I say, recounting what he told me to make sure I have the information right.

“Yes.” He nods.

“You said there are also Bitten vampires?”

Spencer rubs his hands over his face. “Yes. Those are the vampires that are popular in media. People bitten by a vampire and go through a transformation. Bittens are violent and very dangerous.”

I laugh with derision. “They’re vampires. Of course, they’re dangerous.”

“No, I mean they’re ruthless.” He pushes to his feet, and I instinctively take a few steps back to keep enough space between us. Spencer frowns but doesn’t comment on my actions. “They’re wild and unpredictable and kill for the fun of it.”

“Right…” I purse my lips and nod. “And the Born vampires are the good guys.”

“Yes,” he says through gritted teeth. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Born vampires want to live in peace with humans. We want to be accepted, to be left alone to go about our lives. But the Bittens think they’re the superior race, that because they’re stronger and faster and more powerful they should rule the world.”

My jaw drops, and my veins turn to ice. Everything I’ve seen so far, everything Spencer has told me repeats on a loop in my mind. “Wait… so these Bitten vampires are responsible for… what did you call it?”

“The culling. And yes.” He grimaces. “We’ve been hearing rumors for months now that the Bittens were planning something big, but we didn’t think they were in a position to move so quickly.” He mumbles a curse and shakes his head.

“Okay, but if they want to rule the world, why kill people? Or kidnap them or whatever it is they’re doing. Seems like they’d need to keep people around so they’d have a food source.” Another gag tries to force its way out, but I fight back the urge. I cannot believe I’m standing here talking about humans as a food source for vampires.

“The Bittens are culling the human race, Everleigh. They’re killing the sick and weak and old and rounding up the strong and healthy.”

Dread crashes down on me, and my knees wobble. “Why?”

“Because they’re going to harvest them to create the most potent type of blood, and if they succeed, they’ll be unstoppable.”

My breath catches, and I hug myself. “So, what’re we supposed to do now?”