She moved around meand took a seat at the desk. “Yeah, I guess.”
My focus stayed on thelarge frame she had been staring at. The parchment inside was old,worn. It was huge. The lines of what looked to be the shape of anoak tree were fading, along with many scribbled names. As my eyestravelled lower toward the trunk, the names were a little easier toread. Danielle’s name rested beneath her parents, parallel to hercousin Alexis’, Heather’s name scribbled neatly below.
“Holy shit, is this-isthis your family tree?” I looked over at her. “It’s gigantic.”
“Tell me about it,”she mumbled, switching the computer on.
“Have you met any ofyour relatives?” There were a few names situated a little higherthan Elle’s and Alexis’, but it almost looked as if the last threegenerations hadn’t had children.
“Not really. I canrecall my parents talking to the odd one on the phone.” She cradledher mug between her hands and took a mouthful of coffee. “Most ofour family stopped this bullshit years ago.”
“What do you mean?” Iwalked over to the desk.
“Some refused to havechildren. A few were disowned from refusing to follow thislifestyle. And y’know, a lot were killed.”
“Did you ever considerwalkin’ away?”
She stared into spacefor a long time, before finally replying.
“Once I saw what theyhad done to Alexis …” She put her mug on the table. “It would havebeen easy to say, ‘this isn’t worth it.’ Watching loved ones getkilled or go crazy, or paralyzed like my Da.” She crossed her armsand rested them on the table. “It would be easy t’be scared, butthe truth is seeing what they did t’my Da, t’my cousins … It mademe angry. No way was I going t’let Leeches get away with hurtingthe ones I loved.”
She lifted her gaze tomine, suddenly seeming defeated. “I’m-I’m sorry this happenedt’you.” The words were quiet as they left her lips.
“Did she justapologize?”
“Elle, I—?”
Her attention moved tothe computer. “But this is what they do. They attack and turnpeople and ruin their lives and the lives of their families. I willadmit that since Heather and Sofia left, since most of the Leechesfollowed them, well, there hasn’t been much to slay the last fewyears. These last few months, well, the decision was pretty muchmade for me, until Sofia died. Until Heather never checked in. So,it was either I come and help my cousin with this insane legacythat has been placed on both of us, or I hang up my sword.”
Her gaze moved acrossthe room.
“Being here hasreminded me of what has been taken from my family. Something thatwas so easy to ignore hiding away in my parents’ house in peacefullittle Wicklow.” Her eyes found me once more, determination nowburning there. “So, the short answer is no. Even though I have hadmy doubts, I have never truly thought about running away from thislife. It’s not really ever been an option.”
The light of thecomputer screen highlighted her face. I could see the glisten ofunshed tears resting in her tired eyes.
All the years I hadlaughed at her—this was no joke. In their own way, her family savedpeople’s lives. She saved people’s lives. If she had beenthere the night Freddie and I were attacked … I’d still be human,and Freddie would be alive. Our families wouldn’t be worried aboutus. We would have been able to see them again.
If Elle or Heather orsomeone like them had been there, my life wouldn’t have turned intoa horror film.
“You also wouldn’thave reconnected with Elle.”
I glanced over myshoulder at the teen who was still having a ball playing with allthe gym equipment. I could feel the protest on the edge of mytongue, but who was I kidding? She was right. If Freddie and I hadgone on our merry way, the chances of me seeing Elle again would’vebeen very low.
“You weren’t even ahundred percent sure about dropping in on her when you bothventured across to the Emerald Isle.”
I wasn’t sure if shewould have wanted to see me. If she would have agreed to. If shehad, it would have no doubt been awkward—well, minus the sword inmy face kind of awkward. Part of me felt it was easier to not lether know that I was home.
The teen stopped herfake-lifting of weights and pinned me with a stern look. “Andthat’s just shite, Than. Its cowardice t’not have even tried. Youreally have been a shite friend for not contacting her, but more sofor crawling back t’her now.”
These were unusualcircumstances.
“It doesn’t matter.You’re lucky you know a Vampire Hunter. You’re lucky you were oncefriends with one, otherwise you would have been severelyscrewed.”
I felt heavy, ashamed.Truth was I was lucky to be standing here. I was lucky to have herto help me, because without her, I would have lost my mind weeksago. I really would have been gone.
“Isn’t it funny howbeing crazy enough to create yourself an imaginary version of yourchildhood friend has actually kept you sane?” the teen pointedout as she set to running on the treadmill.
“Yeah, it’shilarious.” With a roll of my eyes, I turned back to find Ellestaring at the gym equipment. That little crinkle at the bridge ofher nose had formed.
“Thanks.”
Her cautious gazeturned back to me.
“Y’know? For notkilling me.”
“Yet.”
A laugh escaped me,and I was pleased to see the twitch at the corner of her lips. Herattention moved back to the room. She slowly scanned the space asthough looking for something.
“She wants t’knowwho you keep talking to,” the teen commented. “Eventually,you’re going t’have to admit that you did lose your mind backthere.”
I placed the bowl onthe desk and shoved my hands in the pockets of the hoodie. “So, whyare we down here?”
“Well, there’s nothingin the house to indicate where Heather may have gone other than theDVD which was near useless.”
“And reallycreepy.”
I would have freakedout if a family member had left me some beyond the grave message.It was definitely one of the strangest things I had ever seen in mylife. How was someone supposed to deal with that?
“So, this is basicallyour last hope.” She picked up her mug and took another swig.“Hopefully, there will be something down here
