CHapter FIfty-Six

Drake.

Drake’s adrenaline wouldn’t allow him to sit down.

He was ready to tear the entire property apart looking for his father. But part of him knew that his father wasn’t stupid enough to show up alone. If he did come off his high horse, he wouldn’t be alone.

He sucked in a deep breath of air and braced his palms along the railing of the front porch. The amount of hatred running through his veins for his father wasn’t healthy.

If he were human, it would have already given him a heart attack from the amount of stress coursing through him.

He tightened his fingers around the railing of the porch and let his head hang in exhaustion. It was pure Hell to feel utter exhaustion and not be able to sleep.

What he would do for one good night of sleep like old times. He'd taken sleeping for granted as a child, and now, he longed for it.

Waverly’s soft touch slid up his spine to his hair making him moan. Then there were the heightened senses of becoming a vampire that he enjoyed.

She turned her back against the railing and stared at him. “Has Roderick spoken with Beau about your mother's innocence yet?"

Drake shrugged. “He went looking for him so I guess he’s made it there.”

Waverly cupped his jaw and lifted his head upward toward hers. “You need to relax,” she breathed.

He chuckled. “How do you suggest I do that?”

“Sit down,” she said, sliding both palms up his shoulders. “I can see that vein in your forehead throbbing.”

Drake turned and leaned back against the railing next to her. “If I sit down I may combust. I feel like I need to do something but I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m tired of waiting for our demise. I need to take action, I just don't know what kind."

Waverly nodded. “Me too. I’m afraid that I’m going to wake up with a camp full of vampires and … we’re not going to be able to fight them off.”

Drake turned to her and slid his fingers around the back of her neck. “We’re going to fight them until they die. This is more than us. Beau didn’t tell you but a vampire killed his sister—,”

She wrapped her palm around her mouth and closed her eyes. The heartache rested in her soft features.

“He blames himself, and hates the royals for doing nothing about it.”

“I can’t believe that,” she whispered. “I had no idea. His poor parents. They lost one to vampirism and the other to an actual vampire.”

Drake nodded and stroked his fingers through her hair. “We’re not all this bad,” he whispered.

Waverly looked up at him. “Don’t you think I know that?” She moved her hair off her shoulder. “I do let you bite me, don't I? That requires trust on my part."

He smiled. “And for that I’m grateful. Please don’t let these monsters ever sway your decision on all of us.”

“That would be stupid,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder. “Roderick has been gone a while. Should we go make sure he’s okay?”

Drake pulled away. “Yeah, let’s go check on him.”

They walked toward Beau’s cabin not finding him there, so they started around the camp. A group of them stood at the entrance of the woods with Beau in the center of them.

They stopped outward of the group when they noticed Roderick wasn’t in it. Where was he? Why didn't he come back to the cabin?

Beau sensed Drake’s unease and turned to look at him. “Is everything okay?”

“Roderick hasn’t been by here?” Drake asked.

Beau glanced around. “Has anyone seen Roderick?”

Drake glanced around at the clueless vampires all shaking their heads. Waverly looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Maybe he went for a run?” Drake said aloud, his mouth feeling dry.

Beau made eye contact with him through the crowd around him. “Everyone split up and go look for Roderick. My trackers pick up his scent from the cabin and go searching.”

The crowd broke up, and Beau made his way over to him. “Where was he going?”

“To tell you that our mother had no idea the hound was coming.”

Beau slid his palms over his head. “That’s not that far of a walk.”

Drake’s palms began to sweat. He wiped them down his thighs and swallowed the ball of fear in his throat.

“Calm down,” Waverly whispered. “Maybe he did go for a run, or got hungry? Maybe he wanted some time to himself?"

"Now it's the time for a walk alone," Drake hissed.

Drake had a pit of dread in the middle of his stomach. Where could Roderick have gone? Drake knew he didn’t go for a run it was a wishful thinking situation.

Had the royals arrived? Did his conversation with his father send him over the edge and he took out his frustrations by kidnapping Roderick?

“I need to go look for him,” he whispered. “Can you make sure Waverly gets back to the cabin?”

Beau nodded. “Of course. Don’t stray too far by yourself.”

Drake looked at Waverly. “Don’t leave the cabin. Stay with Mom and Sarah.”

“I’ll stay with them. Don't worry,” Beau said. “Go.”

Waverly reached out to grab Drake's wrist. “Please don’t go off too far alone.”

Drake kissed her forehead. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll be right back.”

He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth. He didn’t know what waited for him in the woods, or if someone had even taken Roderick. What if they hurt him? Killed him like the guy they found on the tree branch.

Drake’s stomach began to twist in pain. Roderick was a pain in the ass, but he was his blood brother.

Drake jogged off toward the woods adjacent to the cabin. His brother’s scent still hung in the air, but the other vampire’s scents were mixed along with it.

The faster Drake ran into the woods, dodging trees and brush, the more his heart hurt.

Why was Roderick in the woods to begin with? Did someone lure him here? Or drag him? Drake couldn’t tell with all the different scents.

The trees blurred in his line of sight. Sunlight pierced his skin in a hot blanket that slowed him down.

“Roderick,” Drake said loudly, feeling hopeless.

No one answered.

His scent led him all the way to the edge of the woods. The highway stood between him and the start of another forest.

Roderick’s scent died there. He glanced to each side of him and noticed the other vampires stopped near him.

Scotty let out a heavy breath. “I think his scent ends here. Could someone of taken him in a car? Who would he have gone willingly with?”

Drake shook his head. “I don’t know. The only person I could think of would be my father, but I doubt he went anywhere willingly with him. Unless … “

Scotty looked over. “Unless what?”

“Unless he threatened Sarah or one of us. Or gave him no choice but to go."

Scotty scoffed. “Would your dad do something like that?”

Drake gave him a look. “Of course, he would. He would do anything to get back at me for defying him and going against the royals. I called him a coward, too. He didn’t take too kindly to that.”

Scotty looked back over his shoulder. “We should get back. I don’t trust this. Something feels off.”

Drake curled his fingers into fists. He wanted to chase down this imaginary vehicle and save his brother.

His father wouldn’t kill his brother, he loved Roderick more than he did Drake, but he’d use him as a pawn in this game of power.

Drake backtracked into the woods feeling his life unravel around him.

His father, or the royals, would reach out soon. He just prayed it wasn't with a pack of rabid vampires.