Chapter 254
I hadn’t really tried reaching out to the Vampires using my telepathy much lately, not since I’d spent so much time in Gibbon’s demented head, but every time I did it, I got better at it, and it didn’t seem like they even knew I was there most of the time. Not unless I wanted them to. “Okay,” I said to my sister again, this time a little more quietly. “What do you want me to find out from the Vampires exactly?”
“Most of all, what’s going on. Where are they headed, why are they acting so strangely all of a sudden,” Cadence said, speaking slowly like she was contemplating whether or not she’d covered everything.
“They are Vampires. They always act strangely,” Brandon remarked and then looked at me to see if I was offended. I was feeling more Hunter than Vampire at the time so I didn’t say anything.
“Fine,” I said, nodding.
“Great.” Cadence let out a long breath. “We have a hunt coming up, that RV park in Butler. Have you heard?”
I had heard mention of the place, but I didn’t know for sure if it was a go or if I was accompanying the rest of the team. I still didn’t. “You want me to see if I can find out what’s going on there?”
“If you can. And any more information about that dream you had might be useful, too.”
Now, I was really puzzled. She was talking about that really odd dream I’d had not long ago, when I’d allegedly stood up and spoke in my sleep, saying something really weird about the time. I didn’t remember doing that, and I didn’t remember much of the dream, but she seemed to think it meant something. “How could other Vampires know anything about my dream?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “But, maybe you could see if any of them know what that phrase you said means.” I looked at her, waiting to see if she’d repeat it or if she’d trust I knew what I’d said. She didn’t say it, so I nodded again. Unfortunately, I did remember what she told me I had said. It was all so eerie.... “We are trying to get this park ranger who saw the Vampire in the forest in California to come in and get started with his training. We think he’ll be a really good Guardian, and we can use as much insight into exactly what’s happening as we can get.”
“Another Guardian?” Brandon asked, and I wasn’t sure what his point was. There were lots of new recruits here right now that were Guardians.
“Yes. We will need to replace you after we ship you off to Siberia,” my sister teased, picking up my napkin and tossing it at him before she got out of her chair. She is quick, and he almost didn’t catch it before it hit him in the face.
I shook my head at both of them. They had always acted like they were brother and sister before I interjected myself into the picture. Or had Brandon dragged me here? “What’s his name?” Brandon asked, and while I thought it was a legitimate question, I wondered why he wanted to know.
“Uh, it’s Dax something….” My sister is terrible with names. After a second, she giggled and said, “Oh, yeah. Dax Forest.”
“Dax Forest? The park ranger, who works in a forest, is named Dax Forest?” Brandon’s eyes were wide.
“Yeah, since your dad wasn’t there to make the funny jokes, Jamie had to step in and do it for him,” Cadence replied, and I assume she meant at the meeting she’d just left. Cadence seemed surprised that Jamie, our Healer, is funny, but I’ve heard him joke around a lot of times. I wondered what he’d said but figured I’d just ask him later since Cadence seemed to be on her way out.
“I’ll do it tonight,” I said, hoping she would just go.
“Perfect. Thanks, Sis,” she said, walking backward toward the hall. “Oh, and make sure the kitchen is clean. We don’t want to poke the bear.”
“We always clean up,” I reminded her with an overly pleasant smile.
“I know. It’s just… he’s more than a little annoyed that he can’t figure this out.”
I understood what she meant. Aaron was used to being on top of things, but if this was a situation he’d never seen before, in his almost two hundred years, he wouldn’t let it go until he had some answers.
“I will make sure there are plenty of dirty pots and pans in the sink,” Brandon said with a wink, and Cadence narrowed her eyes at him.
“Did you do your school work?” she asked me, sounding a little too much like our mom.
“I did my algebra. I’ll do the rest now that I’ve eaten lunch.”
“Great. Okay. See ya.” Unlike my mother, she did not ask how my algebra went or a million other questions, which I was thankful for. A half-second later we heard the front door click closed.
“Don’t forget to grab your laptop,” Brandon reminded me as I helped him carry the dishes into the kitchen.
“I know. I still have lit to do, and I need to read over the notes from chem.” I groaned. It was hard training to kill monsters and going to school at the same time.
“I’ll clean up in here. You go ahead.”
I looked up at him, my eyebrows arched, and he smiled at me. I have the best boyfriend. “I’m sure you have things you could be doing, too.”
“Yeah, but unlike you, I don’t really sleep at night anymore, so I can do my homework then. So go ahead. If you’re going to be spying on Vampires later, we won’t have much time to hang out otherwise.”
He had a point. “Thank you,” I said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek, and then I headed into the office to get my computer. I decided I could do the rest of my homework on the sofa, and I hoped it didn’t take too long because I’d much rather spend my time with Brandon than on stupid schoolwork.
