Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen

Bram was just washing his hands as he heard a loud argument break out. He was glad he’d asked the boys to watch the girls and rushed out to see what was going on. With all the machine’s and lights, he couldn’t see directly where they were, but as he turned the corner, he saw one of the boys look over toward him. A huge smile lit his face and Bram’s blood ran cold. How had he not noticed? The boy’s teeth were long, and he had the look of a hunter in his eyes. Turning back, he growled, launching himself at Gabe who had just slugged another boy who had his hand wrapped around Sara’s arm. He didn’t flinch as the fist landed in his face and he pulled her away from Gabe without effort.

Fire suddenly lit the third boy and chaos broke out all around the arcade. As Bram yanked the first vampire off Gabe, throwing him on the ground both hands plunged into his chest as her ripped his sternum out and burned his heart in his chest. The vamp that was on fire was running wildly through the isles, “Devon, put him out! He’ll burn the whole place down!” Devon was kneeling on the ground though, hovering over Gabe who was writhing under him.

“Dad!” Devon screamed.

Bram was already on top of the burning vampire though, stopping his from burning the rest of the building down. Other employees were now gathered round, fire extinguishers were running, but they weren’t doing much against the strange blue flames. Bram snapped the vampire’s neck around, to prevent him from running anymore, then dove back to where Devon was. Rosie and Sara were nowhere to be found. When his eyes landed on Gabe, his stomach dropped. Izabella was now hunched over him pressing her hands against the base of his neck where he was bleeding from. Panic seized Bram as his phone started to ring. He didn’t answer it, as his gaze locked on a little blond girl with curls trying to pry her hand from the grasp of a lanky teen. Another girl screaming in his ear.

Racing up behind him, the first thing Bram did was shove his arm into the vampire’s mouth. Worried that if give a chance, he would rip out Rosie’s throat before death found him. Yanking him backward, the vampire fell and Sara went down with him, still panicking as he wouldn’t let her go. Rosie was screaming at the same time, her leg pinned under the vampire as he thrashed at Bram, finally letting go of both girls. The first thing Sara did was grab Rosie and run behind one of the employees at the center, who pulled them tightly in their arms, screaming as Bram hauled the teens body out of site from them. Slamming his hand into the vampire’s chest, he burned his insides like the last. Grabbing the girls a moment later, he brought them back to where Gabe was still laying. His heart rate had dropped dangerously and he wasn’t fighting against the pain any longer, his body had gone still.

His phone was still ringing. It hadn’t stopped since it had started.

“Bram.” Izabella was sobbing, holding Gabe as he bled all over her. Her little hands covered in blood as she pressed them to the bite wound. “He’s going to die, isn’t he?” Bram knelt beside her, pulling her to his chest. Devon was crying, begging him to do something. Someone was banging somewhere nearby, and suddenly his phone buzzed with an emergency sound. Only Tyler could send an emergency call to him. So, he knew something was seriously wrong. “What?” He picked up.

“Jen ran out of the house. We’re tailing her now, but she completely panicked and freaked on us. Held us up with magic, though she didn’t know—”

“FUCK.” Dropping his phone, he realized what was happening. She was reacting to Gabe. He *was* her mate. He looked down in horror at the boy. He was the only one who could save him. Why did it feel so wrong?

Eudom’s voice whispered from the shadows. “It’s a mistake. Let him go.”

Something smashed at the other end of the arcade, and people were screaming again. Jen came in, screeching to a halt in front of them as she opened her wrist. Bram jumped up, Izabella got dumped onto the floor as she watched the scene unfold in abject horror. “You can’t!” He growled, pulling her into his arms and holding her there. “He’ll kill everyone here. I know, Jen, I’m sorry.” He felt her reaching for her magic and tossed her back. He couldn’t be touching her when she used it.

“I won’t let him die!” Tears streamed down her face. She moved forward again, but Bram put himself between her and Gabe.

“I can’t. You can’t.” He growled.

“You can!” She screamed. “Stop being a coward and turn him!”

“Bram, he’s slipping away, please! Please do something.” Izabella begged and pleaded. Bram’s heart went out to her, but his shackles were raised. It felt wrong. So, very, very wrong. Eudom’s words kept replaying in his head.

“Tyler and Gavin will be here soon. We’ll have one of them—”

“There’s no time!” Jen screamed, falling to her knees. “I can feel it. I can feel him dying. Please!” When she turned her golden eyes up to him and Izabella started to beg more vehemently, Bram couldn’t stop himself.

Turning, he ripped open his arm, and pulled Gabe into his lap as he pressed his wrist into the boy’s mouth. “Eudom!” He called out, “EUDOM!” Gabe’s hands suddenly reached up, grabbing Bram’s wrists. His new fangs digging deeper into his flesh. Bram knew the moment he ripped his arm away the boy would lose it. The only thing tempering Jen right now was the pendant she wore, and her panic over her mate.

The lights around the room flickered, and darkness fell around them. Suddenly, Eudom was standing over Jen, glaring down at Bram. “I told you. You knew in here,” Eudom’s pale hand tapped at his chest, “and yet you try to save him anyway. Kill him while you still can.”

The fear that crept over Bram was nothing he’d ever felt before. Eudom was always teasing and kind, the ferocity burning in his eyes terrified Bram. He knew something. He knew what it was that made Bram worry every time Gabe asked him to turn him. The reason why he’d insisted Gavin or Tyler do it in the first place. “It’s too late. He’s already changing, Eudom. Will you help me?”

Eudom glared harder. “You’re not listening.”

“Please, Eudom.” Izabella called out to him. “How can we kill him? He’s ours, just as much as any of the other children. I can’t…” as she broke down into tears, Eudom’s face shifted.

“If you don’t kill him now, you will regret it. Eudom can only bring him to my room. He will destroy…” as his eyes shifted to Bram, that anger came back, “many things.”

The worst part for Bram was believing every word Eudom was saying. He contemplated it. Snapping his neck and stopping the change. Gabe’s eyes popped open, as he sunk his teeth deeper into Bram’s arm. “Can we take him to the dungeons at Bran Castle?”

“No. For many reasons.” Bram didn’t have time to ask.

“Please. The shadow room then. I’ll find someplace safe for him, I swear—” Suddenly, Gabe released Bram’s arm, grabbing Izabella’s hair. She screamed as he lunged forward, trying to get to her neck. His hazel eyes were large and wild with the blood lust of a young vampire. Bram wrestled with Gabe, and was able to get Izabella away from his grasp, but he had all he could do to keep him under control.

“Gabe!” Jen tried to get in the middle of it, but Gabe snapped at her ripping her arm open from elbow to wrist with his teeth. “Stop.” She tried again, and he would have gotten her neck if Bram hadn’t ripped him away. Jen wasn’t where he was focusing though. His eyes kept going to Izabella.

Bram felt relief wash over him as the shadows settled around them, wrestling there on the floor of the arcade. Eudom wasn’t going to take the chance he could hurt Izabella. Despite all the items in the shadow room, she was far more precious to the shadow entity than anything in the room. Bram felt that sucking, soul wrenching feeling hit him as they fell through the shadows.

*****

Izabella stared after where Bram had been with Gabe. She couldn’t stop crying as she pulled the children close. Why did it always need to be like this? Was there no ending to their torture? It was a party. They were having fun. How had they found them here and why did they keep coming after them? When Jen’s head whipped up, and her eyes narrowed on Izabella, she felt herself backpedal. Pushing Devon and the girls away, “Go.” She whispered, staring Jen down. She wasn’t her daughter anymore. Instead, her eyes were looking at Izabella like she was a meal. Slowly standing, she lifted her hands, backing away. “Jen. Jen, I know you see me, but you have to hear me.” Jen took two tentative steps forward, forcing Izabella to backpedal more. “You don’t want to do this, Jen. I love you. I protected you. I did what I could for Gabe, and I have the other children to look after. Please.” She was whispering, too afraid to make any sudden movements that would make her act. Realizing she was definitely the rabbit became clear as she was looking into the eyes of not a fox, but a damn wolf.

Air rushed around her, and a moment later, Gavin was in front of her with his arms up. “I will take you down before I let you touch her.” He lowered himself into a fighting stance, but it was only to keep her attention on them as Tyler snuck around to her back. Izabella clung to the back of Gavin’s shirt, pushing her face into his back. She had seen the dart in his hand. They were going to stabilize her and take her magic so that together they would be able to man-handle her and keep her away from them. She took two steps before Tyler struck her in the shoulder with the dart.

Faltering, Jen stumbled before leaping toward Izabella. Gavin was able to stop her as he forced her to the ground, pinning her under him. Tyler was there to grab her legs and help keep her confined with Gavin. “Izabella, are you alright? What happened?” Gavin’s eyes darted to her and then all around the room. He was clearly concerned about Bram’s absence.

Unable to stand, she crumpled. A mess of tears, thick words, and jumbled explanations. “Did you understand any of that?” Tyler asked, staring at her.

“Gabe is Jen’s mate and something happened to him. That’s all I got. Bram’s with him.”

A moment later, the lights dimmed and Eudom’s shadow elongated from the shadowy nether between two machines. As he dropped Bram between where Jen fought Gavin and Tyler and Izabella. He was writhing in pain. A boiling wound oozed blood that was too black. His screams echoing around them.