A/N:
Released on Dec 13, 2018

As I mentioned in the post on my message board, I was very happy to write this chapter! It's been a long time coming.

I hope you enjoy it :)

Word Count: 3211

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Chapter 32: Return of the Backstabber

I had perfected the mental punch as much as I could without truly wanting to hurt my opponent.

Despite a few bruises that healed extraordinarily fast, I made sure not to hit him too hard, while also being sure of my ability to hit the real enemy ten times harder.

“What's got you in your head?” Zane asked, standing a few feet behind me as I spun around in surprise.

The wind pulled a few strands of hair from my ponytail, slapping them against my face before it died down again.

“I'm just… thinking about training.” I mumbled, brushing the brunette strands behind my ear.

“Hmmm.” He hummed as he slid his hands in his pockets, taking an idle step forward, head down so his blond hair fell in his face.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at the actions, waiting for whatever negative thing he was about to say.

Zane glanced over at me through his hair, stepping forward again in an almost aimless matter, although I knew it was anything but that. “I assumed you were thinking about your upcoming talk with your sister.”

I let out a sigh of exasperation. I should’ve known that’s what this was about.

I had almost forgotten about that promise I made to myself. But once it was on my mind again, the feeling of dread returned.

The buried emotions from my last talk with Lucy resurfaced, leaving me lost on what I could possibly do to fix the mess I made.

But I couldn’t keep letting the “what if” scenarios in, circling my mind in an endless torrent. I had to get it over with. It probably wouldn’t even be that bad.

“Well, now I’m thinking about it.” I responded glumly. “So thanks for that.”

Zane planted his feet in place, straightening up to look at me square in the face, a slight smirk on his lips. “We wouldn’t want you to forget about it.”

I couldn’t help but frown at him and his sarcastic attitude. But he sobered up immediately, knowing when to not push it.

He pulled his hands from his pockets and strode forward, ready to redeem himself with something more supportive. “You said you need to do this, so don’t wait any longer.”

My eyes fell to the ground, staring at my muddy tennis shoes from our run through the woods the other day.

“Hey.” He called gently, grabbing my attention enough that I looked into his earnest eyes once again. “Even if this conversation sucks, I promised that I’d help fix your relationship with Lucy once we get back. We’ll explain things to her, all of it, and get through whatever comes next.”

“I know.” I replied, voice inadvertently softer than normal. “It’s just that we’ve never fought like this before. I swore I’d never lie to her, so I haven’t, but she figured out a long time ago that I could get around it. We’ve always been completely honest with each other.”

Zane ran a hand down my arm, intertwining our fingers together as he pulled our locked hands in between us and pulled us a step closer to each other. “Then there’s no reason for her not to get over this once we explain what’s gone on. She’ll understand why you didn’t tell her everything.”

I nodded my head slightly, not wanting to say more on the subject. I leaned over and pressed a quick kiss on his lips, as a sort of thank you and a bit of good luck for what’s to come, then separated us and went off to be alone.

He stayed outside to give me some privacy, although he wouldn’t be able to hear the words we would exchange in our minds. I was sure he’d listen intently to make sure I was okay, which was considerate of him.

I passed the covered windows in the living room, making my way to one of the bedrooms.

There were a few in the abandoned home we were staying in, but Zane and I thought it would be best to sleep in the living room to keep watch, so the room I went to had been undisturbed.

I didn’t feel like sitting in the room that Ash had occupied. I couldn’t mix the feelings that were brought up from him leaving with the ones I was already dealing with, having to talk to my sister after the awful ending to our last conversation.

I sat in the middle of the floor, legs crossed with my eyes closed. Taking in a deep breath, my senses expanded until I could hear the people walking around their homes and speaking to their families.

Once calmed by the normality of other people's lives, I decided it was officially time to reach out to my little sister.

“Lucy?” I called out hesitantly, correcting myself with a bit more certainty. “Lucy.”

It didn’t take long to get a detached response. “Alicia… Hey.”

Her impassive tone caught me off guard, but I quickly composed myself and acted natural. “I know it’s been a few days, but-”

“It’s fine. I figured you’d reach out soon.” She interrupted me in a deadpan, as if she didn’t care whether or not I talked to her. Like she didn’t want to talk to me.

It made sense, in a way. How we left things, with Lucy basically confirming that she no longer trusted me whatsoever, I should’ve expected what came.

“I wanted to check on you.” I admitted, hastily adding on to it the first thing that popped into my head. “And to tell you that I’m getting closer to finding Jake. We’ll be home soon.”

“That’s great.” She answered, tone unreadable before going on icily. “Well, we’re fine here, so I guess we’ll see you when you get home.”

Then my little sister cut our connection, unlinking the conversation in our heads and kicking me out, leaving me sitting in stunned silence.

When did Lucile learn to be so cold hearted?

I stood solemnly, concealing whatever emotions that could have arised from that ghastly encounter.

It was easier to pretend that everything was okay, rather than continuing to let the predicament eat me up inside.

I had more imminent things to worry about.

I made my way back outside, knowing that Zane was awaiting news on what went down.

Instead of running my mouth the moment I saw him, I squinted up at the midday sun, closed my eyes, and let the light wash over my face.

It hadn't been very hot outside lately, with winds blowing through often. It was perfect weather for us, seeing as newly turned vampires had a sensitivity to bright sunlight.

Every now and again I'd feel a sting in my eyes, like they were about to water, but it was rare because of the nice weather.

All Zane had to do was raise an eyebrow at me, knowing that I instinctively knew the question already.

“She answered, but didn't really have time to talk. She said my family's okay, all things considered.” I told him an overview, not wishing to go over any of it.

To my surprise, and a bit of relief, he left it alone. Although his gaze said quite another thing, asking if I was alright, I was glad that he didn't voice it.

He knew how much Lucy's indifference upset me. And even though I didn't tell him what she said, he knew by my unwillingness to talk about it that it wasn't good.

“Well, I think we need to move on from this house now. You haven't learned more than a few things, but it's unsafe for us to stay much longer. We need to leave before dark.” Zane insisted, effectively changing the subject.

“Right. I'll go and pack up now. Not that there's that much to do.” I said, already turning to follow through with the plan.

“Alicia, wait.” He said softly, making me think that he might not have been letting it go after all.

“We could relax for a little bit.” He suggested, deciding to be less cautious than before. “We could wait for maybe an hour or two before leaving.”

I gazed at him questioningly, wondering if it was too good to be true. “Really? You're not worried about our safety?”

Zane ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of the way as he thought about it once more. “I am worried, but this might be the last time we get some peace and quiet. And I doubt we'll stumble on another foreclosed home on our way.”

I turned slightly with a smile, inviting him to join me in the house. “Okay then. Sounds like a plan.”

I made my way inside before he could catch up, using super speed to get everything together. That way, we'd be ready when it's time to leave.

I was standing in the living room, staring blankly at the covered windows when Zane finished getting ready and joined me.

“Come on.” He whispered, nodding his head to the couch before going there himself.

I settled down, lying down with my head in his lap, gazing up as he ran his fingers through my hair.

He had an absent minded grin on his face, so slight that I might not have seen it if I wasn't watching him so intently.

He glanced at me curiously, having noticed my eyes on him, but went back to what he was doing.

I closed my eyes, content as I relaxed with my boyfriend, for once not worried about what could happen.

As it usually happened when I would relax enough, my senses opened up so I could hear the neighborhood.

It was a school day, which meant that the only noises in the houses nearby were those of quiet parents who were either preparing for work or having a day off.

The peacefulness of it all was what allowed me to so easily pick up a disruption entering the area, one that would cause a lot of trouble for us.

There was a crowd of people heading in our direction, but I couldn't be sure yet what was going on. So I listened into their thoughts.

With there being so many of them and being far enough away that I wouldn't be able to spot them out the window, it was hard to discern whose thoughts I was reading.

“I really hope this goes well. I heard the stories about last time and it didn't seem too hard.”

“I've been on plenty of missions just like this. Everything is going to be fine.”

“Oooh I can't wait to get my hands on them! I will finally receive the amount of respect that I deserve!”

“That stupid witch broke my nose, and my neck! She's gonna pay for it now.”

It only took a few seconds for the thoughts to roll in, many at a time, jumbling up until I had to focus a little harder to listen to them individually.

But the last thought echoed in my head. There was something familiar about the voice. I've heard it somewhere before…

I listened more closely, searching for the familiar person. The one that began sending chills down my spine.

“I may not be able to kill either of them, but I sure as hell can get back at that filthy traitor for attacking me. He had no right to stop me from having my fun.”

A memory surfaced as I recognized the person behind the thoughts. My fist flew through the air, over and over again, even after I'd broken his nose and Zane had yelled at me to stop, that he needed my help taking out the others.

I just wanted revenge. And I had fun doing it too, no matter how cruel it may have been.

“Zane!” My eyes shot open as I bolted upright, saying my boyfriend's name while I returned to the present and the danger we were in.

I spun in my seat to face him, light blue eyes wide and filled with an unmistakable panic.

“What's wrong, Alicia?” He asked accordingly with a frown.

I shot up to stand a few feet away, unable to stay motionless as shock ran through me. “They're coming. Storm's found us. He sent people to come get us.”

And just like that, any hope I’d had of this trip going our way was stripped from me. We were foolish to think Storm hadn’t been on our trail the entire time.

How could we possibly move around him, getting what we needed without confrontation? Storm would catch me eventually if I didn’t do something about him. There would be no escaping a man as cunning as him, the leader of our vampire kind.

But I couldn't continue to think of it all that way. I had to make a plan.

I tuned into the intruders again. Whereas before, they seemed to be a few blocks away, they were currently closer, only about one block away and moving fast and silent.

Zane jumped up as well, spitting out questions immediately. “How do you know? And when are they getting here? Are we leaving now? Which direction are they coming from?”

I shook my head at the onslaught of questions, pacing in front of the couch. “I can hear them. It's too late… They'd catch up if we tried to run. They'll be coming up to the front door. They know exactly where we are.”

Zane grabbed my arm to stop me, pulling me toward him for a sense of security, seemingly trying to calm me down. “So we fight.”

“Dalton's leading them.” I whispered, too distraught to voice it any louder.

The memories of betrayal flooded my mind, clouding my better judgment and making it impossible to think.

Dalton was my first kiss. And that wasn't even the only time he kissed me. After I figured out that he was the traitor of our group, not Zane like Dalton had claimed, he had kissed me again to mock me.

“Dalton's coming.” I muttered, still lost in the past. “He's here. I have to see him again… I have to fight him again.”

“Alicia!” Zane snapped at me, bringing me back to reality. “We have to fight. Remember what you've learned.”

I did remember what I'd learned the past couple of days, about how to use my telepathy defensively. And the thought of it brought around the idea of using it on Dalton, to get back at him for everything he put me through.

I was going to stand up to him again, but this time I wouldn't go so easy on him.

“Backyard, now.” I ordered, mind clear of everything but my personal vendetta, which had to include the best battle strategy. “They're almost here, so we need a bigger area to fight than in the house.”

Zane didn't waste a second following my instructions, heading out the back door in front of me.

He glanced at me imploringly, as if to ask if I was sure about facing off with them. I hadn't had time to count how many there were that were coming, and neither had he.

I replied with a single nod of my head, signalling that he needed to be ready. His fists curled at his sides, jaw clenched and body stiff, prepared for a fight.

Too many mixed feeling stirred inside me, churning around until they combined, leaving me with an almost blind rage that I hadn't experienced in a long time.

I expected Dalton to be as arrogant as before, to walk straight up to us and taunt me for being stupid enough to fall for his old tricks.

But he'd apparently learned from his previous mistake, deciding to let the others of the group descend on us, forming a circle throughout the backyard.

They came in a wave, hopping over the fence and surrounding us before we knew it. Then Dalton shoved his way through to get to us.

To get to me. I could tell by the gleam in his dark eyes and the smirk on his egocentric face that I was what he wanted.

My eyes scanned the others, counting twenty vampires in total. Last time we fought about forty of them, so it didn't make sense why Storm would send less to capture us.

“Hello, Alicia.” Dalton purred, eyes cold and calculating.

“Dalton.” I responded in a deadpan, somehow managing not to snarl or hiss out his name.

“If you're wondering about the low amount of guests at our party, I can assure you that there are around thirty others that can be here at a moment's notice.” He bragged, somehow knowing what I was thinking.

I played along, awaiting the time that I could strike out like a snake with a poisonous bite. “Oh, I think this little get together is lively enough. Besides, don't we need to catch up?”

He smiled at my teasing, at least until I spoke up again. “Speaking of, how is that broken nose of yours? It looks a bit crooked to me.”

A low growl came from deep in Dalton's throat, bursting free angrily as he lost his cool.

“Let's cut to the chase, shall we?” He spit out, already fed up with my attitude. I was just getting started.

“Tell us what you want, and then leave.” Zane commanded, his voice having reverted to the more dark sounding one that I'd grown used to when Ash and I were imprisoned by Storm.

Zane had been pretending to be evil, and in doing so, his tone of voice was negatively modified, as if a threat was resting on the tip of his tongue at all times. With his fists soon to follow.

Dalton ignored Zane altogether, his eyes never leaving me. “I've come to bargain. Alicia, if you'll come willingly with me, we will fight side by side together for our true leader, and none of your friends or family will be hurt. Deal?”

His proposal sounded more like a done deal, infuriating me further, which I didn't even know was possible.

“I won't work for Storm. And I'd rather die than fight alongside you.” I refused hatefully.

“Awe, come on.” Dalton droned, getting a few steps closer with a sly grin. “There was a time that you would have. You would've loved it. And we would've been doing other things besides fighting together.”

I could've gagged from the statement, but I wasn't going to give him any satisfaction whatsoever.

But I wasn't above having a little fun.

“Come closer and I'll show you how I really feel about that offer, instead of just saying go to hell.” I replied flatly, popping the fingers of my closed fists that somehow remained at my sides.

I'd really love to claw his eyes out or something equally horrifying, but I had to bide my time.

Dalton let out a dramatic sigh as he stepped away, back to being a part of the crowd he brought with him. “I wish you would've chosen correctly. You'll see, in time. For now, you've caused me to resort to violence.”

And with that strange signal, the other vampires rushed forward, ready for a rematch.

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A/N:

Oh gosh I am so incredibly excited for what I'm about to tell you! So, for this chapter I had to go back and read exactly what happened the last time Alicia faced off with Dalton. I went to the chapter where he was last seen in the story, which I discovered was chapter 32 of Taken Away.

And this chapter is number 32, in which Dalton is seen for the first time in this book!

So he was last seen in ch32 of the first book, and he reappears in ch32 of the second book!

I swear, I had no clue that this would happen until I discovered it the other day XD

I love parallels like this! I just got extremely excited over this seemingly simple thing, but it still seems amazing to me :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter XD