The White Blood Trilogy - Complete Box Set Books 1-3 Page 17

  He’d fired up the engine, but we were still connected to the dock by one last line. Even still, we’d already drifted a few feet away from the wooden platform. Ben and George were still in the house, and it was only then that I had a chance to notice that they gunfire had dropped off dramatically.

  A blood curdling scream came from the direction of the house, and I looked to see a body come flying through the back door, George following close behind. His face was covered in blood and he had a wild look about him. It was hard to tell from this distance, and there was so much blood on him that I couldn’t tell if any of it was his or not.

  I scanned the horizon, frantically looking for Ben. There was no sign of him anywhere. I was just about to ask my dad if he could see anything when a bright orange fireball lit up from behind the house. I figured it had to be the car that the first set of agents had pulled up in, and I prayed that Ben wasn’t still near the explosion when it happened.

  My prayers were answered when I saw him running around the side of the house signaling to his dad to run. There were shouts and the crackle of automatic weapons fire, and I watched helplessly as a bullet slammed into Ben’s shoulder, sending him spinning around and slamming him to the ground. He lay on his back, dazed from the impact, but before anyone from the tactical unit could get to him, George was there, moving faster than I’d ever seen anyone move. He tore the throats out of three men before grabbing a gun and cutting down two more with bullets.

  “Look, there on the access road!” shouted my mom, pointing down the dock to where two black SUVs with dark tinted windows screeched to a halt at the locked gate.

  A man in full tactical gear jumped out with a pair of bolt cutters and went to work on the lock holding the gate shut. Unfortunately it was just a little hardware store lock, and it gave way easily beneath his cutters, allowing him to slide the gate open so the FBI vehicles could drive through.

  I looked back to the house and saw Ben and George running towards us. They were moving quickly, but Ben was lagging behind his father and I could tell that the bullet wound was taking its toll on him. The FBI team was piling out of their vehicles, and it was going to be a tight race as to who made it to the dock first.

  “Get down girls,” said my dad. “Release that line. We’re pulling out of here.”

  “No, dad!” I screamed. “You can’t leave them.”

  “Trust me and stay down out of the line of fire,” he said. “They’ll make it.”

  He crouched low at the wheel and throttled the little motor, sending us moving forward at a snail’s pace. The tiny propellor wasn’t meant for taking the boat long distances, and it took a while to warm up and get us moving. At first I thought we weren’t moving at all, until I saw the dock begin moving beside us. We were running parallel to it, and there was only ten feet of dock left before we’d pull away for good.

  Ben and George had clashed with the tactical team when I looked back to check on them, and I watched on as George took a bullet in the leg, and Ben was shot again, this time in his bicep. Still they fought hard, lashing out with lighting speed, snapping necks, and biting into soft exposed flesh where they could.

  They had taken out more than half the FBI team when it seemed like they were about to go down, but that’s when George yelled for them to run. The two vampires sprinted down the length of the dock, and I realized that there was no more of it left beside us. We were more than fifteen feet away now, and it was impossible jump.

  “Ben!” I yelled. Ignoring my dad’s words for me to stay hidden, I ran to the back of the boat and stretched out my hand towards him, urging him to run faster.

  Both men hit the edge of the dock at the same moment, and rather than diving into water and swimming after us like I thought they meant to, they leapt into the air with a giant superhuman bound. Somehow, they sailed right over my head and landed hard on the tiny deck of the boat.

  George almost fell off, but stopped himself by grabbing onto the railing. My mother ran to him and helped him climb back into the boat.

  Ben had a harder landing, and he slammed into the corner of the cabin wall, his head bouncing hard in a way that would have killed a normal man. I ran to his side and crouched beside him, keeping a low profile from the bullets zipping over our heads. One slammed into the wall next to me, and I felt splinters of wood and paint hit my shoulders.

  “Oh please, Ben, please be okay.”

  He opened his eyes. His lip was split wide open, and blood ran freely from it when his lips spread into a grin. I bent down and kissed him, and although there was something empty and unsatisfying in it, I realized I didn’t enjoy the taste of the blood that had gotten on my lips and tongue.

  “Don’t worry,” said Ben. “I’m learning a lot about how tough this vampire body really is. I should be fine in a little bit.”

  “Ben,” I said, wiping his blood from my mouth. “Your blood… I tasted it and, it was awful. I’m not sure I’m fully vampire.”

  “Vampires can’t consume vampire blood,” he said.

  He allowed me to help him sit up, and he leaned back against the cabin wall. We were out of the range of the FBI agents’ fire, and my parents were rushing around the boat to get the sail up.

  Ben continued explaining. “It’s not that vampire blood is bad for you, but it’s sort of like whiteblood. It doesn’t inhibit your abilities, but it won’t do anything to nourish you either. The real test is if you find yourself in front of a bleeding human. It takes everything in you to not consume every drop of it once you feel the blood lust.”

  “But you resisted it when I was still human,” I said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of his eyes. “How did you do that? There was so much after I was shot.”

  “I could never harm you,” he said. “I love you too much to do that. My love for you was stronger than the urge to feed.”

  “Oh,” I mumbled, feeling happy, and exhausted, and embarrassed all at the same time. “I love you too, you know.”

  “I had a feeling,” he said. “But, uh, can you ask your parents if they have any emergency supplies on board? I’m feeling pretty weak and I could use some blood.”

  My father had installed a solar powered cooling unit that contained enough blood for them to survive for weeks at sea. With the five of us on board, it would be enough heal Ben and George’s wounds, and get us to Bermuda if we rationed it carefully.

  Chapter9

  Our little sailboat pitched wildly on the violent seas. We’d sailed almost directly into a storm not too long after leaving the shore, and my dad explained that he’d done it on purpose in order to hide us from the FBI. With luck, we’d be able to stay ahead of any coast guard or private ships they might send after us, and the storm would ensure that they wouldn’t be able to track us by helicopter. It meant a rough day and a half of wondering if all of this had been for nothing if our ship capsized and we all drowned, but it was a risk we had to take.

  Ben and George healed more slowly than they would had they had access to fresh human blood. Although my parents had cycled out their emergency blood supply on a regular basis, it was mostly cow and pig’s blood, and it didn’t have quite the same effect on them. My dad explained to me that there was a particular essence in human blood that made it extremely potent when compared to everything else, and that was one of the biggest challenges they faced as vampires trying to convert others to their way of living. They believed that vampires didn’t need to feed on humans, but it was hard to convince someone to eat nothing but flavorless soy mush when they were used to dining on the best kobe beef every night.

  The sailboat wasn’t built to contain five people, and with the raging storm and pelting rains, it quickly became cramped and stale in the tiny cabin. Ben and George each had a side of the small sleeping area, and that left my mom and I to take turns curling up around the kitchen table when we weren’t up top helping my dad keep us from blowing too far off course.

  At first the tension of escaping and realizing how close we�
��d come to be captured had been all-consuming. I spent most of that first day looking back over my shoulder, expecting to see a coast guard ship behind us. My father kept reminding me that we were in international waters and that they had no jurisdiction out here, but after what I’d seen of the men who ran Facility 47, I wasn’t entirely sure that would matter to them.

  Once the excitement died down, and it was clear that Ben and George were healing properly, I actually began to enjoy helping my dad with the boat. After having him out of my life for so long, I didn’t mind the rain and dangerous sea conditions, because I was regaining some of that father-daughter time I’d lost since he and my mom had been turned. He showed me how to work the sail and plot a course, and it quickly got to the point where he could sit in the shelter of the cabin and rest for an hour or two while I kept us pointed to where we needed to go.

  “How much do you know about this Sanctuary place?” asked my dad on the morning of the third day. It was just the two of us outside.

  “Not much at all,” I admitted. “With everything that’s been happening, we never really had time to talk about it. We’ve been running from the FBI this whole time, and there just wasn’t a chance to ask more questions.”

  My dad nodded and looked out over the horizon where the sun was half up and blazing over the water. It was amazing how quickly I’d settled back into being his daughter and picking up on his nuances.

  “What’s bothering you?” I asked.

  “Very few people get the luxury of choosing to become a vampire,” he said. “For most of us, it’s something bad that happens, and it’s a situation we have to try to live with. Everyone is different. Some people try to find other vampires to live with, and others just want to be left alone.”

  “Like you and mom,” I suggested.

  “Exactly. Vampires aren’t human, Jenny. It’s important you understand that. We may look and act human a lot of the time, but our brains do change. Some of us are capable of feeling love and loyalty, but not all are.” He looked me in the eyes and there was a hint of sadness there. “I’m not sure what you experienced in Facility 47, but there are some old vampires that are nothing but cold and calculating. If those are the kind of people running this Sanctuary, then they’ll just as soon put as to death if they decide they don’t have a use for us.”

  “We can’t afford to think like that,” said my mom, emerging from the cabin with a clear medical bag of dark red blood. “We have to have faith that everything will be fine.”

  “I know dear,” said my dad. “It’s just hard not having a backup plan. We’ve come so far and built a nice life for ourselves, and I hate to see it all fall to ruin.”

  “I’m sorry I dragged you two into this,” I said, feeling like an awful daughter.

  “No, Jenny,” said my Dad. He stood up and came to wrap an arm around my shoulder and squeeze me tight. “We love you and only want to protect you. If anyone is to blame for all of this, it’s the government and the anti-vampire task force.”

  In a clear effort to change the subject, my mom held up the bag of blood. “I notice you haven’t eaten anything since we got on the boat,” she said. “You must be feeling worn out.”

  My dad took over at the wheel and I sat next to my mom. She handed the blood to me, and I suddenly felt the exhaustion of the last few days wash over me. I’d been running on raw adrenaline and emotion since waking up in the car outside my parents’ house, and now having this blood in front of me, I felt a hunger I hadn’t previously known.

  “Go ahead,” said my mom. “Just sip it slowly, and you’ll feel better.”

  The bag had a small tube with a control valve on it, and I hesitantly stuck the tube in my mouth and turned the valve so I could suck out the thick salty liquid. I felt my fangs shift into place the second the blood hit my lips, and although I couldn’t explain how it was happening, it was like I was sucking the blood up into the fangs instead of swallowing it like I would have if it were water or food. My body tingled and warmed as I drank, and it felt like I was being refreshed and renewed from the inside out.

  “Not so bad, huh?” said my dad.

  “No,” I replied. “It’s surprisingly good.”

  “I guess we don’t have to wonder if you’re a full vampire or not,” said my mom. “If you’d only been half-way turned, you would have been able to tolerate it, but not much more.”

  “I feel completely restored,” I said, handing the bag to my mom so she could drink. “It’s like magic.”

  “It is a magic of sorts,” said my father. “At least, that’s how we choose to view it. There are others who see it as a curse.”

  “Well I don’t care if I am a vampire now,” I said, taking my mom’s hand. “I’m just happy to have my family back.”

  My mom must have caught my glance towards the cabin. “And a certain someone who loves you very much.”

  “Yes,” I said, smiling and not feeling nearly as embarrassed as I thought I might be. “And Ben too. Both he and his father are just the sort of vampires you’d both be happy to associate with. I know you’ve only seen them reacting to the FBI chase, but they’re really quite good people.”

  “We trust you,” said my dad. “If you believe they’re good hearted, then that’s enough for us.”

  “Speaking of Ben and George,” said my mom. “This is the last of our blood supply. Why don’t you take that inside to split it between them?”

  “How much longer until landfall?” I asked.

  “We’ll on track to hit the coordinates Ben gave us later this afternoon. Go on and get some rest, and I’ll call you when we’re there.”

  *

  It was closer to sunset by the time we arrived at the point that Ben’s coordinates indicated. Until we were actually in sight of the small island off the southeastern coast of Bermuda, it looked like we were heading beyond the main cluster of inhabited islands and out to empty sea. the island didn’t appear on any of our charts, nor did it appear on more modern and advanced satellite views our GPS unit supplied.

  “This place has been a sanctuary for vampires for a very long time,” explained Ben. He and his father had come out on deck to watch as we approached the beach. “It was difficult for me to get a lead on any information relating to this place, and the person who tipped me off told me that some very old and powerful vampires have been exerting influence for hundreds of years to keep this place a secret.”

  “Well hopefully they don’t mind us crashing their party,” said my dad. “Look, we’ve already got the attention of the locals.”

  Despite the low cloud cover and the inky blackness of the night this far away from any manmade lights, I realized that I could see the beach with near perfect clarity. Everything was sharp and clear, even from a distance which my human eyes wouldn’t have been able to make out anything more than the dark haze of sand and trees.

  My dad brought the boat in as close as he dared, and then we tossed out the anchor. We were just about to jump overboard and swim into shore, when we heard the low rumble of an outboard motor and saw a small skiff coming out to meet us. Two silent and serious looking vampires motioned for us to join them, and we all piled into the boat to be shuttled in to shore.

  No one spoke as we marched along the beach and ducked into a jungle path. One of the vampire guides took the front, the other the rear, and I couldn’t help but feel more like a prisoner being marched to trial than a guest being brought to any kind of sanctuary.

  The jungle trail brought us to a small clearing, and the sight of the ancient looking stone building nearly stopped me in my tracks. It spread deep into the jungle and looked like a mayan temple. Tangled vines snaked all over the three story high building, and I got the impression that it would look like nothing more than a patch of jungle if viewed from a passing plane.

  “Sanctuary,” said our vampire guard. “Enter and be judged.”

  We filed into the entrance and emerged into a large torch-lit courtyard. Several vampires sat on a s
eries of simple wooden benches around the edge of the courtyard, and a dais held three stone chairs, each with a severe looking vampire staring at us with cold piercing eyes.

  “What is your business here?” asked the female vampire in the center chair.

  “We seek sanctuary,” said Ben in a loud and confident voice.

  The woman’s eyes locked with mine, and I wanted to back away and run for the boat. I was afraid that she could read my mind, or kill me with a thought. When she spoke, I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  “You’ve brought a human here? Surely you’re aware that the penalty for this is the true death.”

  “She’s not a human,” said Ben, his head turning towards me. His tone softened when he said “I turned her myself just a few days ago.”

  The woman rose from her chair, descended from the dais, and stood before me. Her hands flashed out and grabbed my face, pulling it close to her own. She looked deep into my eyes and put her nose to my neck in such an intimate way that I thought she might kiss or bite me herself. She inhaled and pulled away, her hands tenderly caressing my skin.

  She smiled and licked her lips sensually. “She is indeed vampire but very fresh.”

  The woman returned to her seat, and I exhaled the breath I’d been holding since she’d stalked towards me. My pulse raced furiously, and I felt immense relief that I seemed to have been accepted by the vampire council.

  There was a murmur from the vampires around us, and a man approached the three head vampires and whispered something into the woman’s ear. Her expression turned sour and she leapt from her chair, flying towards me and pinning me to the ground.

  Ben rushed towards me, but vampires appeared to restrain him. George and my parents were likewise grabbed and held back. The female vampire sat on my stomach, pinning my arms down with her knees. Her nails were long and had sharpened to a lethal point. She trailed one of these down my cheek before running it along my throat.

  “I’m told you work for Facility 47.”