Chapter Seventy-six

Izabella watched the children running up to the giraffe enclosure. They were ready and exited to feed the creatures, and Bram smiled, watching as Gabe and Jen split them up and started working to have the listen to the person who was setting up the food for the animals. “You sure you don’t want to go and feed those things with the kiddos?” He asked, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at her. There were numerous families arguing around the pen. Kids wanted to try to feed them, but the parents didn’t want to spend the money on it. Meanwhile, he had eight kids walking up, waiting to be the next to do so.

“No. I was actually hoping you would tell me more about your shenanigans. You were telling Gabe about them earlier, and I was curious what else you’ve had a hand in.” As her soft green eyes turned toward him, she could tell his walls were breaking down. He wanted to share with her. She knew he did.

“Lots of things. The black plague for one. There was an insurgence in vampires then, it was the first time the elders tried to raise the vampires to the top of the food chain. We were able to keep them at bay, but barely. I was branded as a conspirator for that one and they all tried to kill me. The elders were furious I wouldn’t allow them to sway the tide. Then they tried again during World War II, with the camps and leading those poor people into captivity. They almost won then too. It was the same time I met Gavin. He also disagreed that vampires shouldn’t be able to hold sway over the humans. If it ever went to that, the whole world would go to shit.”

“Those don’t sound like shenanigans.” Izabella sighed.

“They’re not.” Bram nodded. “I’ve had a heavy hand in the way things have played out into this lifetime. But usually, I only care to keep the balance. If we sway it one way or the other too much, the system starts to break. That’s what I can’t allow. That’s why no one in the family likes me much.” He chuckled, his eyes still watching as the children fed the giraffes. She didn’t get to see him in a cap and sunglasses often, but he looked as stunning as always. There were people surrounding them already, many were women whispering about the man standing beside her. “This is why everyone will eventually come for you.” His smile was gone, and his eyes still avoided her. “Whether it’s out of curiosity, malice, or spite, they’ll come. And you need to be careful of them.” When his eyes locked on hers, she couldn’t even squirm away. “Promise me you’ll do anything to stay protected and to stay alive. I don’t think I could…”

Her hand touched his shoulder gently and she nodded. “I will. You’ll come for me. So, I’ll wait. As long as I can. I promise.” When he turned toward her, she took a step back. The one thing she didn’t want to be was his last hope, but that’s what this felt like.

His arm wrapped around her, pulling her into him. “I love you. I really truly do.”

“I love you too.” As she stood on her tip-toes, she kissed the tip of his nose. They were surrounded by children again a moment later. Izabella looked up at the sky, “It’s starting to get dark. Maybe we should head back soon?” She looked over at Bram, who nodded.

“It’s been a good day.” He pulled Rose into his arms, and it was Missy who grabbed his hand. “Maybe tomorrow we can go to the park or for a hike.” Rose pulled his hat off, placing on her own head with a giggle. Bram made a face, squinting into the sun, and she thought this was the funniest thing. She’d been doing this to him regularly, nearly all day. Bram’s phone rang, but as he looked down at who was calling, his heart raced. This wasn’t a call to answer. Slipping the phone into his back pocket, he sighed, looking around. As they made it to the exit, Bram slid his valet ticket into the booth as they were leaving. He was surprised to see the keys come sliding out.

“It’s in row C, spot 18, sorry, our valet had to leave so there’s no one to get the car for you directly.” Bram nodded, grabbing them. It was a large lot, and Bram started to direct everyone toward the car. “Everyone, grab an adult’s hand and stay close together please.” Bram said, Gabe immediately grabbed Alex’s hand and Jen’s. She took Mable’s. Izabella pulled Devon and Sarah close, looking at him wearily. They’d all been through enough to feel like there was always something dangerous close by these days.

They were halfway to the car when a number of people, dressed in black, started to pop up between the rows. “Well, well, look at what we have here.” Bram took a silent tole of how many there were. At the moment, about twenty had popped up, but he was pretty sure there were some still hiding around them. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t too many for him, however, he had the children and Izabella to worry about. The alarm of the car next to them started to go off, and it seemed to make the vampires that popped out of nowhere anxious. Gabe and Jen were now trying the doors of cars too, Bram kept moving them toward their own, as the vampires slowly started to move in on them.

“It would be in your best interest to leave us be. I don’t want to have to kill you, but if you’ve come for my family, I will.” Bram said, his voice carried over the parking lot. But the rest of them only laughed.

“You know that keeping humans is forbidden. Yet, you have that woman and a bunch of their young. You call them your family even. Even you must have realized all you were doing was putting a huge target on all your backs. Even if we only kill them here, it will be enough.” The main vampire was following them, step by step. More alarms were starting to blare. One of the vampires bolted over a row of cars. Arms reached out, grabbing Rose, as Bram leapt at him, fangs bared.

“Here!” He heard Izabella call behind him. He heard the sliding of a van door, opening and he could hear her rushing the children inside as his fangs ripped the throat from the first attacker. Rounding back, Bram slammed another vampire, who had been aimed right at Izabella, into the hood of the blue van she was currently shoving everyone into. He was glad she was a quick thinker. Having them piled in the van was better than having them out in the open where they stood a better chance of being picked off one by one. It gave him an actual defense zone, which he would be able to deal with.

When they all attacked at once, though, it was too much. And with everyone in the car, currently, he couldn’t use his fire magic to burn the vampires without risking setting the car ablaze too. Blood ran over the vehicle as the battle raged. Just as he heard a window smash, and Izabella yelling, four vampires jumped him. He was good, but these were all ancients, and each one was just as strong as he was. He was able to fight them off, but he couldn’t get to where a young vampire was currently trying to pull her from the window.

A dark shadow flew by her, and the vampire disappeared. A blaze of red showered down on the other side of the lot. Bram was forced onto his back on the hot blacktop, and his magic kicked up, forcing the four on top of him back. Hissing at their burned hands. A moment later, he saw red hair flipping in the wind that had kicked up. A woman sat on the hood of the car, her legs crossed, and as a vampire flew at her, with a flick of her wrist, he went flying into a windshield, groaning, just before being swallowed up by that dark shadow again.

“Hey, sweety. Dad and I were worried about you. We got some bad news about a few of your friends.” The shadow swept in behind him, and two of the vampires were instantly gone. Bram sighed, as other blazes went up around them. With his mother sitting on the van holding his family, he wasn’t worried about their immediate safety. He wasn’t a fan of the fact that as they were being attacked, his mother and father had shown up. Nothing about that boded well for him. He went after the rest of the vampires with his father, and as people started to filter from the zoo to the parking lot due to all the screaming car alarms, Bram made his way to where the family was hiding.

Opening the door, the children followed him out. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.” They followed him quickly, as he stuffed everyone into the car then got behind the wheel himself. He had no idea where their driver went, but that was the least of his worries right now. The tires of the car squealed as he took off toward the castle, driving much more quickly than he should have been. None of what just happened settled well for him. As his mother appeared in the back seat, Izabella jumped.

“Um, thank you, for coming to help. That was…” he could tell she was terrified by the way her voice trembled.

“Close. Yes.” Scarlet said, pulling Izabella into her arms. “Bram, we need to talk.” He looked back at her through the rearview. “I have troubling news.”