Catherine Kos – Author

Chapter Three

Chase

The music pounds, the bass echoing along the walls and in my head. I kept telling Duke to turn the music up until it was drowning out the thoughts in my head. This way the only thing I can focus on, is the task at hand. Training. 

Alec throws a hit, but I block it while shoving his arm away from me. He drops the stake in his hand, stumbling back a few feet, and I take the moment to spin, catching Duke’s arm before he can bring it down on my chest. He grins, thinking I don’t already see his other is swinging. I catch it in my hand and pull him in a circle until his body hits Alec’s and they both go down. Their back’s hit the ground, and they both grimace. 

I bounce on the pads of my feet, ready for them to get up. 

The music pauses and a loud ringing cuts through the air, making my flinch. 

Duke jumps up and runs over to the stereo system to grab his phone. He takes it off the aux cable and starts walking out of the room. 

“Keep going,” he tells us without looking over. 

I glance out of the room, looking at the large windows across the training room. The moon is high in the sky and it has to be close to midnight if not passed. Why is Hayden calling this late?

Yeah, Duke never tells me who calls him but with my newfound vampirism, I have very good hearing. Something Duke seems to forget. Bianca called once, a few nights ago, and that was it. It’s always Hayden calling, telling Duke where they are, and what’s been going on. Duke and I don’t speak about Bianca. I don’t ask and he doesn’t tell. 

When I woke up that first night after I turned, when I found out that she left, I was… Well, angry doesn’t even begin to cut what I was feeling. What I am feeling. To top it all off, she took Killian with her. Fucking Killian. She couldn’t stay here with me because she couldn’t stand me being a vampire, but she took off with a vampire and a hybrid in the middle of the night. Yeah, angry’s a fucking understatement.

“How are you doing?” Deklan asks, stepping into the room, looking from me to Alec.

I shrug, while I hold out a hand to Alec, helping him up. 

“He’s doing good, strong,” Alec insists. 

Deklan quirks an eyebrow at me. “Still feeling normal?” 

“Yeah,” I tell him with a nod. 

When I first woke up changed, I craved blood and bad. Even went after Alec, but Duke fought me off and knocked me out. When I came to, I was locked in a room with Deklan and a bag of blood. I don’t know how long we were in there until Deklan felt like I had a handle on my bloodlust. We were all surprised at how fast I was able to get it under control but Deklan chalked it up to the Protector genes I’ve got running through my body.

After the bloodlust, Deklan worried about the sire bond. He was afraid that I would feel a sense of loyalty to the Aldinn, therefore would want to do whatever the Aldinn asks of me. 

Deklan insisted that I would want to search the Aldinn out, find him to do his bidding, but I don’t feel anything for the Aldinn other than a rage that rivals what I feel for Bianca right now. 

It seems that changing into a vampire didn’t change my loyalty, but heightened not only my emotions but the hate I have for that man.

For that past few weeks, Deklan’s been having me train with Duke and Alec every day to keep me in top shape for when the Aldinn comes searching for me. We don’t know when he will, but it’s safe to say he’ll search me out. He wanted me a vampire for a reason, and none of us doubt it’s to take down Bianca once and for all. But I’ll be damned if that happens. 

“Did he really think that the sire bond would happen with Chase?” Alec asks. “It’s hard to imagine he didn’t see this coming. We all know becoming a vampire heightens emotions.”

I pick up the stake the Alec dropped, flipping it in my hand until I’m holding the base.

Delkan looks morose. “I think the Aldinn had one thing in mind when turning Chase, and that was creating a weapon.”

Raising my arm, I launch the stake at the wall. It lands, sailing through the padding, embedding it inches into the wall. 

Deklan and Alec swing their gazes to me. 

“He wanted a weapon, he’s got one. But, I’ll be the weapon to kill him,” I announce. 

Suddenly, Deklan’s voice pierces through the air.

“Well, put her on the fucking phone,” he shouts.

“She’s been sedated,” Hayden insists quietly on the other line. “They had to give her blood. She’s out right now, but I just wanted – ” 

I brush past Deklan and Alec, walking into the front room where Duke paces.

“I don’t give a shit what you wanted,” Duke growls. “Wake her ass up and put her on the goddamn phone!”

“Will you calm down,” Hayden hisses. “She didn’t even want me to call you. She’ll kick my ass when she finds out, but I thought you needed to know.”

“Damn fucking right I needed to know. When did this happen?”

“A few hours ago, we got her out and took her to the hospital. They just finished giving her blood. She came to on the way to the hospital, just long enough to tell me not to call you.”

“I want to know the minute she wakes up,” Duke snaps. “And if she doesn’t call, then you need to. Understand.”

“Yeah,” Hayden snaps, and then she ends the call. 

Duke squeezes his eyes shut, and takes a shuddering breath. 

“What happened?” Alec voices the question we’re all wondering.

I can sense him and Deklan behind me but no one else says a word as we wait for Duke. 

The rage I feel makes my body hum, and I feel like my skins on fire. Somehow I know what Duke says next is just going to add to the flames.

“They were at a party,” Duke breathes, opening his eyes and looking between the three of us. “They fought some vampires, and… Bianca got bit. She lost a lot of blood. She’s at a hospital now. They’re waiting for her to wake up.”

“They gave her blood?” Comes from Deklan.

Duke nods. 

“Where is she?” I breathe, my voice barely above a whisper but still lethal. The words burn my throat on their way out. 

Bianca’s cousin, my best friend, raises his eyes to mine and shakes his head. 

“I’m not telling you that,” he says. 

It doesn’t matter who he is. Before he can even blink, I charge him. I fist his shirt in my fists and slam him against the wall a few feet behind him. My fangs lengthen and I take a deep breath to try and calm myself. 

“Tell me where she is,” I growl out. 

“You’re not ready yet, Chase!” He shouts at me, his eyes glowing. 

“You let her go. You let this happen to her, and I’m going to get her and bring her back here. Now, tell me where the hell she is!”

Duke opens his mouth, but Deklan is in front of me pushing me back. I release Duke and he glares at me. 

“She’s in Arkansas,” He tells me. Duke objects, but Deklan shoots me a look. “A tiny little town. I’ll have Duke send you the exact address.”

I nod, and go over to the elevator, pressing the down button. Looking at Alec, I hold out my hand. 

“Car keys.”

Alec looks unsure but he digs them out of his pocket and tosses them to me. 

The elevator dings, the doors open, and I slide into it. 

“You’re just going to let him go?” Duke asks, seething mad. 

“He’s ready, Duke. She won’t want it, but she’s going to need his help. Now, we just wait for him to bring her back.”

I frown at his words, but the elevator door slides closed and I’m alone. 

When I get outside, I hop into Alec’s car and speed down to Sara’s house. Sarah used to pay for a storage unit in Chicago and that held all of Bianca’s items from when her parents were still alive. There were paperwork and items of her parents lining the container. Once Sarah got custody of Bianca, she had everything moved up here so Bianca could go through it when she was ready. 

I burst through Sarah’s house, shocking her and Damen in the kitchen but I turn from them and go into the garage to find the particular item I’m looking for. It’s where Duke left it a few months ago, in the front corner. I go over, hitting the garage door opener on the wall, and then I rip the tarp off the big bike, revealing a black and silver 1991 Harley Fatboy. It was Bianca’s father’s. When Sarah had everything moved here Duke had everything fixed on it. He changed the oil, cleaned the carburetor, got new tires, everything to make sure it would run when Bianca wanted to use it. I figure my father gave her his Impala, she won’t mind if I borrow her father’s bike. It won’t be as comfortable as a car, but it’ll be faster and that’s what I’m going to need.

“Chase, what are you doing?” Damen’s voice carries through the air. 

I look over at where he stands in the doorway I just came through.

“I’m going to get my girl back,” I tell him simply, before sliding my leg over the bike and straddling it. 

The key is handing over the break, so I grab it and start the engine. It roars to life and vibrates underneath me. I grasp the handles, and lean it till it’s up straight, and kick out the kickstand. 

I hear Damen step closer. 

“She’s not going to want to see you,” he warns. “It’ll be hard. For both of you.”

Glancing over at him, I can’t help but grin. “I didn’t get a choice when she left. Now she’s not getting one from me.”

I don’t wait for a response, I pump the gas and the bike rolls forward. 

I meant what I said. She’s not getting a choice. She’s coming home. 

The end. For now.