* Trigger Warning - Mild gore / Mild language *

"Don't look so worried. It's a mild sedative." Radella dropped the tranquilliser gun onto the desk, positioning the torch in her mouth as she rummaged through the drawers.

I helped Fiona carry Ethan to the settee and propped his head up with a cushion.

"This was the only way to stop him from doing something stupid. He won't be able to move for a while," Fiona said and crouched down to his level, brushing his damp hair away from his face. "He wasn't supposed to have this life."

I didn't think anyone should be living in fear, chased and hunted by vampires.

Fiona continued, "I tried my best to raise them both equally, but I was always worried about Ethan. From an early age, he wasn't what you would call a typical boy. Sure, he loved rugby and PlayStation, but he would train for hours at the gym, attend defence classes, and that was how he fell in love with his bow."

It was evident the unconditional love Fiona had as she reminisced about his childhood, stroking his forehead.

"When he was old enough to understand that his grandfather is a vampire, he started asking more and more questions, and I didn't know how to tell him that the vampire gene runs in our blood. I thought he would have worked it out by now, but he turns his anger and directs it at them or at others," Fiona said.

That day when Ethan fired his arrow and saved my life, his reflexes and aiming were precise and on point. He had meant to kill that vampire, perhaps out of anger that he shared the same genetic make-up.

"But that makes you, what? If Samuel died in 1739–"

She interrupted, looking at me. "I'm a Dhampir—half-vampire, half-human."

Having found a box of matches, Radella lit a scented candle. A waft of toasted nuts and sweet caramel added a woodsy aspect to the place. "Well, don't mean to break the family drama, but we need a plan on how we can get out of here. Those creatures are trapped in this building until sundown, and by then, Ethan would have transitioned."

Fiona shared an urgent glance with Radella, putting two and two together. "For him to complete the transition, he needs human blood, and Erika is the only human within the building."

Placing the torch in the middle of the bookshelf, she positioned a book on either side, directing light in the centre of the room. "All the vampires are hungry during daylight hours. The next few hours are crucial."

Picking up the shards of the coffee mug, I contemplated fixing it with a hot glue gun. This gave Samuel another reason to dislike me, not that he needed another reason. I needed to get Ethan out of this building and take him home because Edwina was stuck in the kitchen. We couldn't wait until sundown, and realistically, he would be a vampire by then. Letting him die without completing the transition was not an option.

"We haven't got enough time." Holding a piece of ceramic, I sliced my palm with steady fingers, wincing as the dark liquid coated my fingers.

Radella got to me first, grabbing me by the shoulders. "What do you think you're doing? They will smell you."

"Not to mention every vampire in the institute," Fiona added. She opened the stainless steel mini-fridge and poured the contents from a bottle down the sink.

"For precaution. If I die and I become a vampire, at least Ethan has blood as an option. It may or may not work because of the cancer." Holding my hand over the top of the bottle, I watched as drops of my blood dripped to the bottom. "But then I remembered the vampire blood counteracted with the spiritual magic, so maybe it has a temporary effect, and my blood has a normal, desirable taste."

Radella shoved me towards the wardrobe. "Stay hidden. The candle and the AC should mask the smell."

The wound on my palm wasn't healing, but then again, I didn't expect it to. I wasn't a ghost nor a vampire, only something in between.

"I found this." Her voice drifted through the dark. As Fiona switched the light on, using the dimmer switch, she forced a smile.

Giving her my hand, she wrapped the bandage around the centre of my palm. "Does blood not affect you like the others?"

"Blood and sunlight aren't a problem for me, but I'm weaker than the average vampire because I have more human qualities that outshine the vampiric abilities." She kept her gaze down, occupied with bandaging my hand.

"Does Amelia know?" I asked.

"If you're speaking about knowing I'm a Dhampir, then yes. Like Ethan, she is oblivious about the rest and likes to stay that way. She has a new life, a career that has offered her opportunities that I couldn't give Ethan. That's why I admire your dad. He gave you a chance at life. I'm too much of a coward to leave this place behind."

Fiona was the most selfless person I had met. She was like my dad; they were both kind-hearted, compassionate and determined to do what was best for their children.

"My dad went to all that trouble of starting over, and it was all for nothing because he ended up being back here, bringing me along with him." An idea surfaced at the forefront of my mind. "Can I borrow your phone? I left mine at home."

She finished with the bandage, sealing it with tape. "I'll fetch it for you."

A minute later, she reappeared with her mobile, indicating she would be next door checking on Ethan.

I dialled Amelia's number, holding my breath with each ring. When she answered, my heart sped up, stumbling over its own rhythm. "Can you do me a favour, please?"

I couldn't help but wonder if Fiona would be on board, bargaining Samuel's life in exchange for her son's. Not wanting them to overhear, I turned on the mini fan and sat beside the warm blowing air.

There was a hint of concern in her voice. "It depends on what you're asking?"

"Grab your gun and make sure it's loaded with silver bullets." A tension headache moved its way across my frontal lobe, throbbing with every movement. "I need to talk to Edwina."

The clacking of metal casings sounded over the phone as she loaded the bullets into the cylinder. "What is this about, Erika?"

Absorbed by the numerous suits Samuel had hanging up, he wasn't joking about Amelia owing him a shirt. "The less you know, the better."

Amelia replied, "I'll put you on loudspeaker."

"Whatever you do, don't walk away and leave the door open." Amelia didn't know the lengths Edwina would go to, and if the door was open, it gave her a path to the outside world.

After several minutes, a familiar voice came on the phone. "What's taking you so long? You either have the boy, or you don't."

"I have him, but we have a problem. We can't leave the building. The power is out, and they're using the backup generators." Sifting through Samuel's countless tie collections, I scoured through his drawers, hoping to find a clue that linked him to the murders. My conscience was eating me up from the idea of sacrificing a life.

His blood will be on my hands for the rest of my life, that and every vampire I deliver. Can I handle that?

Edwina blew out a long breath. "What are you insinuating?"

"Come here. We will undo the transition in Samuel's office. You know the one." I was playing a dangerous game, letting Edwina roam free and leading her straight for the institute full of vampires. They had no means of escape like fish caught in a net. "Or I can tell Johnathan to let Samuel go, and your only chance will be gone."

Huffing over the phone, she clicked her tongue in agitation. "You've been in Shadowbrook for what, four days, and you're already threatening me, your long lost relative. Did nobody tell you to show your elder some respect?"

Amelia let out a sarcastic laugh, clicking off the safety button. "Don't you think your time is up? Learn to forgive and let go, move on."

"Don't you think I tried the moment Samuel betrayed me, handing me over to Nadine? As long as he covers his back, he walks away free, and I get called a whore. A trollop," Edwina uttered with resentment. "When the time comes, and it will, which side will you stand for—vampire or human? Because having a vampire as a grandfather can only get you so far, but I wonder what the rest of the town thinks about you."

"That was over two hundred years ago," Amelia said. "And I don't need to pick a side."

"And it feels like yesterday," Edwina replied.

"Once you've eradicated the vampiric race, you're still tied to the devil himself. Alani is doing all the hard work, and Akrsna is paying her for it, but what is he giving you? You're miserable." Pacing the width of the confined space, I rubbed the nape of my neck. The area was warm under my fingertips.

"That's the beauty of being mortal, Erika. Since you're the one stuck, you will be 'tied to the devil' as you so put it." Edwina was playing me at my own game.

Of course, we switched places. So now everything will have an effect on me. Unless I can find a way to switch back or become a vampire, I'm tied to Akrsna.

A blast from the gun echoed through the speakers as I fumbled for my phone, alarmed by the abrupt noise.

"Edwina?" I stood rigid with fear, paralysed by the blaring sound. "What happened? Amelia?" My stomach ached with worry from the prolonged silence.

"She shot me." Edwina's breathing was uneven and strained.

A dizzying sense of anxiety nipped at my skin, gnawing away at my organs. "Put Amelia on the phone."

"Amelia can't reach the phone right now. I impaled her with a chair leg." She erupted in laughter, turning into wheezing coughs. "I'm no doctor, but I would say she has less than thirty minutes before she bleeds to death."

A/N

Word Count: 1,726

Will Johnathan be able to save Amelia, and can they both make it out alive?

Have a fangtastic day!

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