Blood and Loss (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) (2 page)

Count to ten. Go to my happy place. Did she not realize I was one of those people? “Mom, you have to get over that. Nanny Scott was a psychic
, not some black magic practitioner. No one came to your house that would have harmed you.”

“Nanny Scott was a very powerful woman and like attracts like. There were some very frightening people that my
mother associated with. I never wanted that life for you. I wanted you to have a nice quiet peaceful life.”

“I understand, but what you want isn’t what I want. I can’t get rid of what is inside me anymore than she could. I don’t want to. I love being able to do the things I do. I just wish I could talk to you about them.
“

She put her hand on my arm. She looked rueful. Was this progress, a breakthrough
, right here on our driveway? I held my breath, waiting to see what she would say.

“I can’t promise miracles, but I will try.”

I wasn’t going to press my luck. This was almost too good to be true. I was going inside while the going was good. Mom very seldom gave an inch and I was going to take what I could. Before I headed to my room, I looked back to see my dad with this goofy grin on his face, giving me a very corny thumbs up. My family was so weird.

I would never admit this to M
om or Dad, but I needed some down time and being home let me relax. I loved Lena, but she was very kinetic and that could be tiring. I loved school, but it came with a lot of stress and pressure. This weekend at home was filled with none of those things. I might never want to live here, but it was a nice place to visit.

I helped Mom make her pies
and the stuffing for the turkey, which made her happier than a pig in shit. The house smelled amazing all weekend as my body recharged itself on homemade healthy food, something it had been starving for since I had started school. I napped a lot and wasn’t even made to feel guilty about it. Dad and I watched TV and played crib. I went through all the clothes I had left at home and made a Goodwill bag. I even did a little studying. It was busy, but I enjoyed it. It was nice to be taken care of.

Sunday came and I wasn’t even antsy to get back to the city. I was looking forward to turkey and everything that came with it.
Cooking was a talent that had been passed down from mother to daughter in my family. I didn’t get a chance to do it too often, but I knew all the family recipes. Mom’s opinion was that everyone had to eat, and if you didn’t know how to cook, you were a fool. I was about to come downstairs to see if Mom needed any help, when the doorbell rang. I waited at the top of the stairs. I wanted to make sure it was someone I wanted to see before I made my entrance.

Mom
was talking, but I didn’t recognize the other voice. It sounded like a kid. Curiosity got the better of me and I had to come down and investigate. Standing in the doorway was a scrawny teenager with dirty hair and clothes. He looked about fourteen. It was hard to tell because he looked so malnourished.

Our stretch of road was a cell phone dead zone, so we often had stranded motorists
coming to our door, asking to use our phone. This kid didn’t even look old enough to drive. Something was off about him; I just couldn’t put my finger on it. He made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I suppose he looked innocent enough, but I was still going to keep an eye on him.

Mom
noticed I was standing beside her. “Oh, good; you’re up. Cass, this is Ian. He needs to use the phone. Can you show him? I need to check the turkey.”

I looked him up and down. He
seemed unfazed by my death stare. I didn’t know if that was good or bad. Walking in the middle of nowhere during the coldest day in October I could remember still seemed fishy. I walked to my dad’s study. “In there, kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” he bristled.

“Okay, old man, the phone is there on the desk.” This Ian had some attitude for someone who needed a favor.

He walked over and looked down. Amusement crossed his thin face
. “Seriously, a dial phone?”

I shrugged
. “Mom and Dad don’t believe in replacing things until they break. It will likely be part of my inheritance along with the harvest gold stove in the kitchen.” I turned around and walked out to give him some privacy. I went to see if Mom needed my help.

She
looked like an evil scientist going from pot to pot stirring, tasting, seasoning. Without looking up, she motioned for me to hand her the flour. “Will you set the table? Set a place for Ian, just in case his dad can’t pick him up right away.”

“Mom, we don’t know this kid. Plus
, he stinks.”

“Not everyone has a mother who does their laundry
, Cassandra.”

She had me there. I walked back to the study to find Ian staring at the phone, his small hand combing through his greasy hair. I narrowed my eyes like that might help
me figure him out. “So, what are you doing walking out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“
I had a fight with my dad and I stormed out, but freezing my ass off has brought me to my senses.”

I gave him my most
skeptical look, but he still looked me right in the eye. “I can sympathize. Why don’t you go freshen up before supper? You kind of stink.”

“Well
, you’re kind of a bitch.”

“True,
but that isn’t likely to change before supper. However, if you use a little soap and water, I’ll be able to enjoy my meal without having to block out your stench.”

He shrugged and walked to the room I was pointing at. If he found a way to at least tone down his
smell and I sat his place by Mom, then I should be able to get through supper without needing to retch.

The little runt was coming out of bathroom when Mom
called us for supper. “Cassie, can you come carry stuff to the table, sweetheart?”

Sweetheart? That
was one for the guest. Mom did not throw around terms of endearment. I walked into the kitchen as my father was sharpening his carving knife. It was the size of a small machete, definitely overkill for a turkey. He used it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I guess it was the official Myles carving knife.

“Here are the rolls and mashed potatoes. Let’s get this show on the road before everything gets cold.”
She shoved the food at me and pushed me towards the dining room.

Ian was already at the table. He was playing with his utensils, but I noticed at least his hands were grime free. “You should have seconds
, kid; you are too scrawny.”

He stiffened at the mention of his weight. “I can’t help it
. I eat all the time.”

How many women would like that problem?
I guess the little guy wasn’t that bad. I kind of felt sorry for him. My mouth started to water as Dad proudly carried in the turkey; he was in his glory. Man cut meat for family. Man is complete.

“Be careful
, Tony, that knife is sharp.”

Ha
Ha, saw that coming. Rise above father.

Dad ignored her and started the carving. The bird was oozing juicy goodness. This meal would be epic. My stomach was
screaming for just one tiny taste. I had to use extreme will power not to steal the first piece from the platter. My parents had been buying free-range birds way before it was hip. I don’t know why extra exercise made the bird so tasty, but it did.

“Jesus H
. Christ.” He pulled his hand back and it was dripping with blood. The turkey was turning pink and my stomach went from hungry to nauseous.

Clucking her disapproval
, Mom got up to investigate. She was irritated. “I told you to be careful.” You can’t say she didn’t
warn you
Daddy Dearest
.

“Jesus Bern, do you think I sliced open my hand just to piss you off?”
He was mad at her, but he still held out his wound for her inspection.

“Let me see.”
After investigating, she wrapped her napkin around the wound and got him to apply pressure. “This is bad. I think we may have to get you stitched.”

Dad was about to argue, when a
crash at the other end of the table brought everyone’s attention to Ian. The poor kid was clutching his stomach, beads of sweat running down his face. Mom left Dad to tend to her other charge. She was in her glory. Mom loved a crisis and she was surrounded.

“Are you okay
, sweetie?” She leaned over him with motherly concern plastered all over her face.

He looked up at her. Tears w
ere streaming down his face. It made him appear even younger. “It hurts too much; I can’t control it.” Ian’s eyes were pleading, like Mom had the ability to make it all go away.

She was about to embrace him when the bottom fell out of my world. Sad green eyes and imploring lips contorted into a mask of horror. Fangs lowered from his upper jaw as his eyes bulged and reddened. Childlike desperation gave way to feral determination. His face thinned until he was little more than skull and skin. Mom started to back away, terror keeping her eyes glued to the monster in front of her. He lunged at her like a wild animal. Claws extended from his slim fingers in mid-flight. He used them to cling to her as they both fell to the floor.

A
look of pure ecstasy passed over his face as he clung to my mother’s side. She struggled to throw him off, but it only made him dig in more. He worked his way up her body, tearing and ripping as he went until he reached her neck. Fangs and claws worked in unison to make the wound. His mouth clamped to her neck like a starving baby at the breast. The sickening sucking noises echoed around the small room. I wanted to run or at least turn away, but it felt like I was watching everything from someone else’s eyes, someone who wanted to witness every last gory detail.

A cry caught in my throat as I saw my Mom reach for my
father. Dad’s chair went flying as he ran to her. Everything was in slow motion, but I knew he couldn’t move fast enough to stop that creature from ripping and sucking her life away. Dad stopped and turned to me. His hand came up and pointed at the door. He was trying to scream something, but the only thing that came out was blood.

I didn’t understand what had happened until
Ian’s face came up over my father’s shoulder like some macabre spectre, blood and bits of flesh sticking to his face. Dad was still standing. His brain didn’t realize half of his neck was gone and it was time to fall down. Somewhere in my mind, I was screaming, “Run you idiot run.” At some point, I did stand, my back against the wall, unable to go any further as I watched the creature in front of me finish his gruesome task.

My
mother lay on the floor. Her neck was twisted at an impossible angle and her side was shredded by the claws that kept her from getting away. She was clearly dead, but I still watched her chest, willing it to move, pleading in my head for any sign of life.

Dad
finally fell to the floor, leaving Ian standing before me, his chest heaving, his eyes locked on mine. I was next. He would come for me and I would let him because I was too stupid to move. Then everything changed again. I watched as he went from monster back to boy. His young innocent face looked more horrific covered in gore. I wanted the monster back. I didn’t want this sad boy to be responsible for what had happened.

The
adrenaline drained from my body and my legs turned to rubber. I slumped to the floor. Ian stumbled towards me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see my own death. His body fell on mine and his small hands gently stroked my cheeks. My eyes opened to see him looking at me, blood tears spilling down his face. When his arms slipped around my neck, I waited for his teeth to sink in. He was crying uncontrollably and hard to understand. In between jagged breathes he chanted sorry over and over again.

What was the protocol when the creature that murders your parents seeks
solace and forgiveness? When I looked into his face, I didn’t care. I wrapped my arms around his tiny frame and pulled him into my chest. He immediately relaxed under my touch. We rocked back and forth, clinging to each other while the blood dried and the sun sank into the ground.

Chapter 2

“Oh my poor boy, what have you done?”

I must have fallen asleep, because I hadn’t heard the man enter.
The only light in the room came from the moon, but he was easy to see. He was tall and handsome, dressed in a suit and trench coat. He looked so sad. I thought I should be sad, but I just felt numb.

The stranger
smiled at me as he reached down for Ian. “I’ll take him now, little one. He’ll be punished by his own kind. I promise it will be quick.” He lifted him like he weighed nothing. Ian whimpered as the man pulled him into his chest. I thought it was a shame he was going to ruin his nice clothes.

I
wrapped my arms around myself, feeling cold and empty without the kid on my lap. “What about me?” I didn’t want to be alone.

“Help is on the way. You won’t be alone for long.” I nodded
, thinking it would be good to get some help.

The door had just closed when I heard the sirens. They got closer and closer until the red and blue lights swirled around the dining room
. Someone shouted my parent’s names. I turned to them as if I expected them to answer. I guess they would never answer to anything again. I yelled for them to come in. A young bug-eyed man came into the room. He pointed a revolver and flashlight at me. I felt the urge to laugh, but suppressed it. I fought an overwhelming urge to say “boo,” but I didn’t want to get shot. He yelled for the others to come and the room began to fill up.

Two officers vomited when they saw my parents.
The paramedics were asking me questions. They didn’t believe me when I told them I wasn’t hurt. I had so much blood on me I didn’t blame them. I was prodded and examined until they were convinced I was fine. My eyes were still glued to my mom and dad. The officers were huddled around them, talking to each other like they were a pile of dirty laundry. It made me mad. My mother would be mortified if she knew people were staring at her like that.

I was cold and started to shake.
It was bone deep and the blankets they gave me when I was on the stretcher didn’t do a thing. The needle they gave me was a miracle. I felt myself float away from the horror, warm and numb. By the time they had me loaded in the ambulance, I was traveling off to sweet oblivion.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital room
, hooked up to an IV. My mom’s sister was sitting in a chair next to the bed. Her eyes were red and swollen and her nose was raw. She reached out her hand when she noticed I was awake. It was hard to look at someone who looked so much like my mother. Her edges were softer, her body more plump, but no one would question they were related.

“Thank God you came back to us. They couldn’t find anything wrong, but you were unconscious for three days.”

“I just feel tired.”

“It was probably a blessing you were able to shut down. The police want to talk to you, but I kept them out of the room. I told them you had been through enough and when you were ready they could speak with you.”

I gave her a small smile. Aunt Marie was like a bulldog when it came to family. No one messed with hers. “I probably should get it over with.” I looked around the room. “Where is Lena?”

“That little girl is like a tiny dictator. She had the nurses checking you after e
very twitch. She made sure the police were in the waiting room and not outside your door. She said their suspicion was interfering with your healing. She even had me promise not to leave your side until she could come back from school.”

“That sounds like her
.” When people looked at Lena with her piercings, tattoos, and Mohawk, they never guessed how focused and responsible she could be. She had grown up with little supervision. It had made her an adult at a very young age.

“I am glad you have someone like that in your life
, Cassie. I think she would do anything for you.”

“You don’t have to stay
, Aunt Marie. I am sure you have things to do.”

“
I do, but none are more important than you.”

I just smiled at her. I was always close to my Aunt Marie, but right now
, I wanted to be alone. She would say and do all the right things—I knew that—but I needed to have a minute to process what had happened. I didn’t want to do it with an audience. Crying in front of people was not something I liked to do.

“The funeral is the day after tomorrow
. I was hoping you would be awake so you could come.”

I didn’t tell her I didn’t care if I missed it or not. I just wanted to go back to sleep. I had said good-bye a thousand times as I sat in their blood on our dining room floor. I didn’t want a bunch of strangers hugging me, telling me how sorry they were. No one could be sorrier than
I was. No one could know how I felt inside. It was all mine; it was all I had. I was alone in life and in grief. I clung to it like a life raft and if I let any of it out, I would sink like a stone.

She squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry
, sweetie. I have arranged everything so it will be simple and fast. Your mom will likely haunt me, as she probably wanted something more on the lines of a televised affair, but I think she will understand that a big to-do would only cause you more stress.”

“Hopefully
, I can get out of here.” I looked around as if my room held some clue to my escape.

“Did you want to stay with me and Uncle Dave? Our door is always open.”

I knew she meant it. Aunt Marie wouldn’t offer if she didn’t. I couldn’t explain it to myself, but I felt like I had lived on my own before my parents died and having them gone shouldn’t change that. Mom had always wanted me to lean on her and tell her everything. We didn’t have that kind of relationship. Maybe it felt like I would be betraying her if I let Aunt Marie take care of me. “I should get back to school. I had exams this week. I’ll have to reschedule.”

“I understand
, sweetie. You do whatever makes you feel best. I’ll text you with the where and the whens of everything. I think I will go. I still have some stuff to finalize. Just call if you need anything and I’ll come running.”

She gave me a big hug and her body shuddered against mine. She was crying and I didn’t know what to do
. I couldn’t cry for some reason. I was glad. I had to deal with graduating first and letting all my feelings out second. What I had to deal with was a tsunami. It was coming and when it hit me, I would be drowning in it for a long time. So for now my plan was to stay ahead of it until I had my diploma, then I could let go. I would stay in bed and blubber for as long as I had to.

Lena would probably say I was using school as an excuse to avoid dealing with what had happened. She
might even be right. In one scenario, I had a nervous breakdown now and I repeated my year. Scenario two, I put it off a couple weeks and I still had a nervous breakdown, but when I came through the other side, I would be able to stand on my own two feet. I was alone and I had to start thinking that way. Step one would mean dealing with the doctors so they would release me.

Aunt Marie left as t
he doctors all came in with concerned looks, wanting me to stay another day for observations. I had a hunch that ordinary patients didn’t rate six doctors in the room at one time, but freak girl who watched her parents ripped apart in front of her did. I had to play the ideal patient and make promises to come back if I felt the need for any reason. I knew they meant if I felt like offing myself. I wasn’t feeling suicidal. If anything, it felt like I had been spared a very gruesome death and I wasn’t going to squander that by taking my own life.

I must
have played my cards right, because they agreed to release me in the afternoon. The police were my next obstacle and they were waiting for me when I got back to my dorm room. Just great; I went from the freak girl who watched her parents get torn to shreds to psycho girl suspected of doing it herself.

I invited them in.
I smiled at them as they looked around my room for somewhere to sit. Since there was only a small desk chair and two beds, they decided to stand. One was a very butchy woman who had all the warmth of a river stone in January. The other was a tall string bean. He was at least 6’5 and didn’t weigh much more than I did. I took an instant dislike to both.

“So you are saying that a fourteen
-year-old boy killed your parents.” String Bean looked at me with suspicion.

“A fourteen
-year-old vampire killed my parents.”

“If he was a vampire
, how did he walk to your home in the daylight?” Butchy looked happy that she discovered a hole in my theory.

“I don’t know
; maybe he hadn’t been totally turned yet. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t control his hunger. I really don’t think he could help what he did.”

“So you’re making excuses for this thing?”

“No, I am telling you what happened and what I thought about it. Isn’t that what you want?”

Butchy
ignored my question. “You said that a man came to take him out of your home. How did he know to come?”

“Earlier
, Ian had called his dad to come get him, but he couldn’t come until after dark. I assume he was a vampire. He said that he would be dealt with.”

“Why didn’t you tell the police that he had just left when they came? We might have caught him.”

I wanted to wipe the suspicious smug look off of her face, but I had to keep my temper. “I was not thinking straight; my parents had just been murdered in front of me.”

They asked me questions
about my “gifts.” Like my power was an evil curse. Did they really think I was capable of draining my parents of blood and tearing them apart in the process? Apparently, the vampire PR was better than the witch PR.

“Do you really think I did that to my own parents? How would I even be capable of doing that? They were bitten and shredded?”

“We have been told your mother never wanted you to go to the academy.”

“Who told you that?”

“That doesn’t matter. Is it true?”

“She wasn’t a fan, but she gave in and I am graduating in a couple of days so I don’t see your point.”

She nodded again. “Things just don’t add up, Cassandra. There was no sign of another person in that room.”

They asked a few more questions and
I answered every question politely and to the best of my ability. They left looking frustrated and suspicious. I am sure it didn’t help that they were never going to find the kid that did this, if he was a kid. He would be dead. I had heard vampire justice was swift and brutal. If it kept him from hurting anyone else, I was all for it. I didn’t know enough about vampires to know what made Ian do what he did, but in the end, it didn’t matter. My parents were dead and so likely was he.