Chapter 18

Five Days Post-Culling…

Every town we’ve stopped at on our way home has been culled. Other than Spencer, I haven’t seen another living person in days. And with each mile closer we get to home, the more my hope for seeing my parents alive and well diminishes. I still plan to go home and check, though. Besides, I’ll need more clothes and stuff if I’m going to stay at the Born stronghold. At least I no longer have to worry about where I’ll stay when my parents sell the house. I frown.

“What’s wrong?” Spencer asks.

I laugh bitterly. “Seriously?”

“Sorry.” He scrunches up his face. “Other than the obvious… You okay?”

I shrug. “Ask me again once we get home.” I fold my arms along the railing, rest my chin on my arms, and gaze down at the water.

We’re a day away from home, and the closer we get, the more my stomach knots. I both want to know and don’t want to know how our hometown has fared. Is this culling isolated to Michigan, or is it happening worldwide? With no cell phone service and no access to radio or TV, we have no way of knowing what’s going on—and that’s more terrifying than all the vampires in the world.

My thoughts wander to my friends. I hope they’re all okay, though if they come home at the end of summer, they’ll see that things have drastically changed. Will the Bittens have vampires at the ready to cull anyone who shows up around here?

Closing my eyes, I blow out a long breath. Not knowing is the worst, yet knowing what possibly awaits me at home is just as bad. The boat slows, and I snap my eyes open. In the near distance, another town looms. I stifle a groan.

Spencer has insisted on stopping at every single town on our way home to forage for supplies and check for survivors. While we hit the jackpot with supplies, looking for survivors has been an utter waste of time, and I hope he doesn’t plan to stop at this town, too.

He stops the boat, and I hang my head. A moment later, he’s kneeling next to me on the bench. He clutches the railing so tight his knuckles blanch, and he leans over, eyes narrowed in the direction of town. I glance from him to the town and back.

“Do you see something?” I whisper. Though I have no idea how he can see anything when we’re surrounded by darkness. Then again, he’s a vampire, which means his senses are better than average.

“No, but I can hear something.” He leans over farther and tilts his head. “Voices… vampires.” He straightens, his back and shoulders suddenly stiff. “Bittens.”

My heart stops, and I’m frozen in place.

“We need to get out of here before they notice us.” Spencer rushes back to the helm and takes off at a breakneck speed.

I grasp the railing, so I don’t go flying off the bench with the force of the boat lurching forward. My head spins, and nausea rises up the back of my throat, but I can’t tear my gaze from the town. My heart begins to bang hard in my chest as I stare at the ever-shrinking land, fully expecting to see a horde of vampires chasing us. I don’t even want to think what could’ve happened if we’d gone into town.

“Do you think they just got there to cull that town?” I ask, finally tearing my gaze away and focusing on Spencer.

“No. We would’ve heard screams if that were the case. I don’t know why those vampires were still there.” His jaw is clenched, and his temple visibly throbs. “Possibly searching for more people. Or supplies. Who knows?”

“Does this mean the Bittens will be at home, too?” My voice gives out, and I have to clear my throat to avoid choking on the emotion building there.

“I hope not.”

Well, that’s comforting. I shift on the bench so I’m facing Spencer, and I tuck my hands between my legs, but my fingers still shake uncontrollably. A chill winds its way around me, squeezing until a shudder wracks my body.

When we’re a safe distance from the town, I expect Spencer to slow down, but he doesn’t. He keeps the same speed. I yawn so hard my eyes water. I haven’t exactly been sleeping very well lately, and my exhaustion is catching up with me. If I can’t keep my eyes open, I’ll be useless when we reach home.

“You should rest,” Spencer says. He finally slows the boat, but not by much.

“That’s easier said than done,” I mutter.

“There’s an alcove not too far from here. It provides decent cover. I’ll drop anchor there for a few hours.” He turns to the right. “We can both use some sleep.”

I nod and stand. “Are you sleeping up here again?”

He’s been doing that ever since we found out about the culling—he sleeps above deck so he can keep watch. How he can do that while he’s sleeping is beyond me. Must be another vampire thing.

“No.” He shakes his head. “We’ll be hidden well enough that I don’t need to. Besides, I’ll hear anyone approach.”

“Okay.” I stretch, then head below deck.

I’ve been wearing the same hoodie and pair of shorts for a couple of days now. In light of everything else, my wardrobe isn’t all that important. Not to mention, I’m out of clean clothes anyway. I lift my right arm and sniff my pit, then repeat the action with my left arm.

“Ugh.” I scrunch up my nose. I smell like lake water and sweat and boat fuel. Definitely time to change.

I rummage around for anything that’s semi-clean looking and doesn’t smell too horribly bad. I manage to find a long-sleeved T-shirt in the side pocket of my bag—no idea how it got there or how long it’s been there, but the shirt is clean and doesn’t stink. I jerk the hoodie off, then unhook my bra and let both fall to the floor before jamming my arms into the sleeves of the T-shirt.

Tugging the hem down, I gather my hair from inside the collar and tie it up in a messy ponytail. I’d kill for a long, hot shower right now, but who knows if something so simple and normal will ever be in my future again.

Behind me, Spencer descends the stairs. His footsteps are featherlight and barely audible, but since getting on this boat, I’ve been hyper-aware of him, like my body knows he’s close before my brain does. As he gets closer, the hairs on my arms stand on edge, and my skin prickles.

“Hey,” I say over my shoulder. “Got us all hidden away safely?”

“Yeah.” That one single word drips with exhaustion.

I turn to face him and am met with a similar expression of tiredness. “I thought vampires didn’t need to sleep.”

He shakes his head, a lock of hair falling across his forehead. “You need to stop getting your vampire facts from the media.”

“Then you tell me about your kind.” I sit cross-legged on the bed and give him an expectant stare. “I mean, if I’m going to be staying in a vampire stronghold, I should at least know the basics, right?”

With a small smile, he rakes his fingers through his hair, then joins me on the bed. He positions himself behind me and pulls me back so I’m leaning against his chest. I let myself relax in his arms, and he nuzzles his nose along the back of my ear and down the column of my neck.

“You’ve always smelled so good,” he whispers.

Stay calm. But despite my silent command, my heart thrashes, and my pulse pounds. I can’t imagine the sound and scent of my rushing blood is easy for him, but if he is struggling, he doesn’t show any signs.

“Borns are half human, so physiologically, we essentially function the same as humans. We have blood in our veins, a beating heart, breath… We can get injured, though we heal really fast.”

“That explains why you’re not cold and pale.”

His laugh rumbles through me. “I’m not undead, Ev.”

“I know,” I say and focus on calming my heart. “So, you obviously need to sleep.”

“Yes.” His voice is deep and husky and much more intimate than I’ve ever heard. He slides his hands across my stomach and wraps his arms around me so I can’t get away—not that I’m trying to. “Sleep helps us heal quicker, and just like for humans, it gives us renewed energy.”

“What else?”

“Our senses are very sharp. We can see, hear, and smell things an average human can’t. We’re fast and strong.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” I drag my fingers across the back of his hand and over his wrist. “You can eat human food but need blood to stay strong?”

“Mm-hmm.” He presses his lips to my neck.

I suck in a breath and hold it.

“Relax,” he whispers, his breath warm against my ear. “I told you. We only drink from blood bags or volunteers, so unless you’re going to give me permission…”

“No,” I say softly. “I’m sorry.” I hang my head in shame, though I don’t know why. Maybe because Spencer’s gone above and beyond to ensure my safety, and I can’t even do something as simple as allow him to feed.

“Hey.” Spencer gently clutches my chin and turns my face toward his. “It’s okay. You have no reason to apologize.” He brushes his thumb across my bottom lip. “The first time I had to drink blood, I was terrified. I can’t imagine how scary it was for the volunteer.”

I swallow around the lump in my throat. “So, you feed from volunteers instead of blood bags?”

For some reason, I assumed he drank from blood bags. I can’t imagine Spencer biting into someone’s neck and sucking their blood. The mental image is bad enough, and I have to shake the thought away before I freak myself out even more than I already am.

“I do both. I prefer blood bags, but every vampire needs to know how to properly feed from a human.” He shifts his hand and cups my check in his palm. His gaze is intense and understanding. “We’re always careful not to hurt anyone, and we absolutely never kill anyone when we drink.”

“That’s good,” I say. Knowing Spencer and his kind aren’t killers is a relief, especially when I’ll be living with them soon.

“Any other questions?” The corner of his mouth lifts in a small smile.

“I don’t think so.” At least, none that came to mind right at the moment. I’m sure I’ll have more eventually.

“Good.” Spencer closes the distance between us and brushes his lips ever so softly across mine.

My eyes flutter closed, and I lean into him. He willingly accepts my permission and kisses me. Long. Languid. When he finally pulls away, I can’t seem to draw in a deep enough breath. I rest my head on his shoulder and savor this moment for all it’s worth. He holds me securely against him, his breaths slowing to a more even level. Is he asleep?

“Spencer?” I ask quietly.

“Hmm?”

“Remember when you asked me what happens when we get home?”

“Yeah…” He tightens his hold on me. “You told me things will go back to the way they were.”

I huff. “We both know that’s not happening now.” I frown.

If the culling has hit our hometown, too, then that meant no more school. No more work. No shopping with my friends. No more house parties. My life as I know it is completely different now—the only thing that will remain the same is Spencer.

“No, probably not,” he agrees, his tone sullen.

“So, what will happen when we get home?” I ask as I cover his hands with mine.

He kisses my temple. “We check on your parents. Then we head straight for the stronghold.”

I sigh. “That’s not what I mean.” I shift so I’m kneeling in front of him. “What happens with us?”

The question hangs heavy between us, and I wait for him to say he’ll stick by my side, that he won’t let anything happen to me, that we’re in this together. But he doesn’t say any of that.

Instead, he says, “I don’t know.”