Stolen: The Dhampyr Series, #2

1

Ethan’s eyes never left me. He wasn’t far, as he stood in the same window every day, studying me whenever I stepped outside. There were no vampires out at this time of day in this type of weather. Not unless they were looking to become a pile of ash. A lot had happened over the past few weeks, and moments like this had to be taken advantage of. I mean, Emily almost got killed. I almost got killed. I almost got killed again. It was a vicious cycle I needed to end. Peering over my shoulder, I met his eyes. All I could do was shake my head in disbelief at his resolve to torture himself.

Today, the wintry air was harsh. It scraped against my skin, stinging me as I stood in the field with Emily. It was too bad it wasn’t summer. The sunflowers that covered the grounds then brought a natural happiness to everyone who saw them. At least, that’s what I’d been told. In its current state, the land looked brown and barren. The dried vegetation crunched under my feet with every slight movement. If it weren’t for the sun shining, it would be quite depressing.

I squinted as I looked up at Earth’s brightest star, which hung low, trying but failing to thaw my skin. The air was clean and crisp compared to New York City, where it was often stale. I missed that staleness; the city had become my home. Now we were in a small town outside of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the kind of place where birds sang outside my window while I enjoyed my morning cup of coffee. Where geese barked in formation as they escaped the crisp weather to bask in warmer areas before returning the next year.

This hidden coven inhabited a majestic farmhouse. It looked like something out of a romance movie. An oak tree out front—leafless and mature—had a tire swing hanging from it. Its skeletal branches waved to me as the wind danced with its tendrils. I loved to sit on the wraparound porch at night, staring at the twinkling stars scattered across the midnight sky. It reminded me of when I’d climb up to the roof of my house in Maine to stare out endlessly and gather my thoughts.

Prickles on my skin told me Ethan was still watching me. I bet if I looked back, I’d see a tinge of jealousy in his eyes because I could relish in the sun and he couldn’t. At least, that’s what I thought it was. I craved the sun, so on these days I left him inside and soaked up the rays that pushed through the brittle air.

I miss the city, but I think this is the kind of place I’d like to settle down in one day, I said.

The city was a lot of fun, but I agree. It’s so relaxing here. Emily looked over her shoulder at our new home. I do wish Ethan and Lizzie could enjoy these days with us.

Yeah, sucks for them. Glancing back to Ethan, I watched as he shook his head at me; he was listening. My lips curved into a smile. You know, Emily. Now that you’ve survived the first dhampyr change, I bet we look like twins to the others when we stand with our backs to the house like this.

Emily giggled. It’s so weird not looking like my thirteen-year-old self but still actually being thirteen. If that makes sense.

Oh, it does. When I made my change, it had been weeks before I stopped doing double takes every time I saw my reflection. The most jarring was the sudden height difference. I’m just glad we both survived, and you’re catching up on your enhanced vampiric abilities. I was getting tired of winning all our sparring matches.

Hey, I won once, Emily scoffed.

I bumped her shoulder and grinned. You mean when I let you.

Emily slid her hand into mine as she always had and leaned her head on my shoulder. We weren’t ready to give up this brilliant day just yet. Plus, acting human for a little while longer meant I could push all my dhampyr issues to the side. It was tiring to know your blood had the power to wipe out the entire vampire race, all because your dad was one of the original vampires.

I guess we should get back, I said, pivoting to look at what we now called home.

Emily nodded.

The farmhouse wasn’t only picturesque, it was also practical. There was a huge training barn out back with weights and a boxing ring, a small horse barn, a guest house—where my childhood friend Devin and his mother lived—and a lot of land, including some woods surrounding three sides of the property. Not to mention there were lots of guards who spent their days walking the perimeter. We were safe here.

There was a new delivery of books today, I said.

Oh, yay. Emily clapped. I love new book day. She may have looked the same age as me now, but inside that lithe body was still my baby sister.

Yes, more dead ends and hopeless sessions where I realize I’m going to die in a couple years because no one has any information on the last dhampyr transition. Super awesome. Okay, I was quite possibly being a bit too dramatic, but rightfully so, in my opinion. I was tired of researching what I needed to do in order to make it past this last transition only to turn up empty-handed.

Tasi, think positive. Emily’s hand left mine as we approached the house.

Easier said than done. Maybe if there were no Deity and no Jelena, I’d be more positive, but with them still lurking out there waiting to drain our blood, I think I’m on overload. My fingernails bit into the soft flesh of my palms as I balled my hands into fists.

Emily knitted her eyebrows. I still can’t fathom what went so wrong in Jelena’s life to make her want to partner with some psychotic cult of humans and commit vampire genocide. Who does that?

I shook out my hands, wiping them on my jeans. Don’t forget her plan to remake a new race of vampires in her image.

Right! Emily threw her hands in the air.

Crazy, we said in unison. It was still hard for me to admit that I’d fallen for Jelena’s trickery. She wanted to be an original vampire with her own line of minions. Her God complex was next-level.

The wooden screen door clanked shut behind us as we entered the foyer. It had rooms sprouting off in all different directions. This place would’ve been awesome for playing hide-and-seek as a kid.

Well, let’s hope there’s something, anything, that’ll help us find answers to our dhampyr issues while we wait, Emily said as she passed Ethan, who was now sitting on a wooden bench, waiting for me. Hi, Ethan. See you guys in the library . . . or not. She giggled as she walked by. I playfully shoved her along as I shook my head.

Hi, Emily, Ethan said. Then he stood up, slid his hand around my waist, and pulled me into his arms. Hi, Gorgeous. My blood roared through my veins in response to his words. Ethan stood there wearing that captivating grin of his—the one I had seen countless girls fawn over, even if he didn’t return the interest.

When are you going to stop torturing yourself? You keep watching me outside soaking in the sun you can’t enjoy, I said, interlacing my fingers around the back of his neck and pulling him closer to me.

Is that what you think I’m doing? He pulled back a little, his chocolate-colored eyes meeting mine.

Of course that’s what I think. Why else would you watch me out there? I asked. I felt my eyebrows furrow at the thought of there being another reason for him to stand in the window like that. I figured you enjoyed tormenting yourself. Like being the tortured soul. I ran my hand through Ethan’s messy hair, wafting his ever-present woody, vanilla scent into the air around us.

His laugh was melodic and it made my skin warm at the sound. Electricity buzzed around us. When we were this close, I wondered if anyone else could feel or hear the soft hum that came off our skin.

Tasi, first, I don’t have a soul.

Here we go again. Ethan believed once you became a vampire, you lost your soul. I disagreed. There were two types of vampires in this world. There were vampires like Ethan, who lived as humanly as possible and tried not to hurt people. Then there were rogue vampires who lost all humanity, letting their thirst drive them. Those vampires often died at my stake. There was no doubt in my mind Ethan had a soul.

Yes, you do, I said.

He ignored me, brushing my hair out of my face. I watch you because I love the way the sunlight illuminates your skin. The way the flecks of cherry come through in your dark hair. And when you look back at me, if the sun is just right, your eyes are like a glistening ocean on a warm summer day. His hand slid up my back, pressing me closer to him. My face must have registered the shock of his words, because he smiled, and then we were kissing. The wave of electricity pulsed between our lips.

Oh, gross. If I knew you guys were out here playing tongue wars, I would’ve gone to the bathroom so I could throw up first. Lizzie followed up her words with gagging noises. Sometimes I wondered why we didn’t leave her behind in the New York coven.

Our lips disconnected from one another, breaking the current I’d come to love. I ran my finger across his bottom lip, which was shiny from my lip gloss. Come on, let’s go see what books came in, I said. We can finish up our game of ‘tongue wars’ later. My fingers interlocked with Ethan’s as we passed by Lizzie. I gave her a wink.

Gladly, Ethan said, biting his lower lip.

More gagging noises came from behind us. I burst into laughter.

If someone told me months ago there would be a group of vampires whom I cared about, I would’ve told that person to get their head examined. All vampires used to be evil in my eyes. Now they were family. My life was so weird.

The library, which used to be a dining room, had been turned into a workstation for research and reading. It had a long table, which Sonya—my aunt—was currently sitting at, sorting through today’s shipment. We had brought in bookshelves to line the walls and had had no issues filling them up. Sonya had reached out to her contacts across the world and asked them to send anything that might help us figure out how we should tackle this last transition. Most of the books didn’t have anything to do with dhampyrs, but in order to keep our secrets, Sonya had covered it up as a research project on whether other creatures—such as mermaids and fairies—had had success in creating half-breeds like dhampyrs. This shipment had come from Scandinavian countries like Norway and Denmark.

I picked up the first book I saw and turned to Lizzie, who thankfully had stopped making gagging noises. Hey, Lizzie, here’s a book for you. The girl on the cover kind of looks like you. Well, she has wings, but it’s almost uncanny.

Look at that. Lizzie has a twin, Ethan said, peering over my shoulder. I bet she’s much nicer, though.

Lizzie shoved Ethan away. Jackass. Don’t start with me unless you want to feel my wrath. She put out her hand toward me. And you— She grabbed the book from me. You can be so . . . She looked at the picture, her eyes widening. "History of the Valkyries," she whispered.

Told you. Eerie, right?

Lizzie didn’t know anything about her past—maybe that book would help her find out where she descended from. She scrunched her face. Sonya, can I take this one to read?

Yes. I don’t think that will help us with what we need. Just remember, they must go back when our research is complete, so treat them well, Sonya said as she took inventory of the other books.

I continued to sift through the pile, looking for anything that might relate to the three dhampyr transitions: body, mind, and soul. With each book I picked up, I slammed the next one down a little harder. Before I knew it, I was mumbling obscenities under my breath.

This is so frustrating, I said as I placed the books on the shelves.

What is frustrating you, Tasia? Sonya asked. Her eyes reminded me of my father so much it made my chest tighten. What I wouldn’t do to have him back here safe and alive. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath as the frustration returned.

Well, we survived the first transition because we had an idea of what was needed to make the change from mostly human to half-dhampyr. This final transition seems so out of reach. Every week we get books, every week we end up empty-handed, every—

I think I found something, Emily said. Dust filled the air around her as she wiped down the book, making her sneeze. Look at this book—or, actually, it looks more like a journal—from twenty years ago.

We all gathered around Emily as she thumbed through a book called The First. Could it really be possible that we finally found something helpful? If it turned out to be nothing special, I was calling it a day. I moved in closer.

"The First? Who comes up with these names? I mean, really, the first what: vampire, dhampyr, cheeseburger?" I said, trying to guess what the book was about. Ethan placed his hand on my lower back, and his touch soothed my annoyance. I leaned back into him.

Tasi, it’s the journal of a child who was part-vampire, part-human. Written by someone with the initials of H. J., Emily said. She skimmed to the back of the book. It ends at age fourteen, after this kid goes through the first transition. A boy dhampyr. The last paragraph says, ‘His body settles and there is relief. No more cracking of bones and screaming in pain. His height has increased about ten centimeters. He craves and drinks blood. Tomorrow we will begin with a new journal, as we don’t know what will become of his life.’

May I see the journal? Sonya asked. Even though we’d been growing into a family, there was something in Sonya’s voice that made us do as she wished, whether we wanted to or not. Maybe it was the whole being the only original vampire in existence thing, which only my small group of people knew about, but as requested, Emily handed Sonya the book. I’ll send my contact an email and ask them to look for any other works written by H. J. If there are other books, though, having only the author’s initials won’t make them easy to track down. Hopefully, the time frame of the journal will help. She handed Emily back the book.

Maybe H. J. stands for His Junk. Lizzie laughed at her childish joke. It made me giggle, but everyone else ignored her. There was a reason she was my best friend.

Tasi, want to split the reading with me? Emily asked.

Yeah, let’s do that. Why don’t you read half and I can read the other half? We can meet up each week and review anything that might be useful.

Thanks. That sounds perfect. Emily’s smile magnified. It was that trust and responsibility we shared that made her know she was my equal and no longer my little sister.

Knock, knock. Sorry to interrupt, but Lily is looking for you guys. She’s in the kitchen.

Standing in the doorway was the only friend I’d ever had growing up. I used to spend a lot of my time with him when I lived in Maine. He was the boy next door, literally. I was surprised when Sonya said Devin and his mother were now living at the farmhouse. Since the Deity set fire to my home in Maine—which killed my aunt Eva as well—my mother thought it best they came and stayed somewhere secure. Just in case someone found out they were helping the Vasile family.

Devin looked young for a seventeen-year-old. His chin-length blond hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, and untidy strands of it fell into his face. He had beautiful skin and lips, and light brown eyes that looked like honey when the sun lit up his face. Today, he reminded me of someone in a band, with his ripped jeans and concert tee. If Ethan could hear my thoughts, he’d think I was crushing on him, but I wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, Devin was good-looking, but Ethan was something more than a hot guy to me.

Hey, Devin. Did she say what she wanted? I continued rummaging through the box of new books.

Tasi, we go to Mom and find out. It doesn’t matter what she wants, Emily said.

I threw my hands up, letting her know I surrendered. She didn’t need to get so snippy. If you say so. I prefer to know what I’m walking into, that’s all. Plus, she knows this is our time to do research. What could be more important than finding a way to save my life?

Tasi— Emily said.

I said I was coming. Geez.

When we got here a few weeks ago, Lily—my newly changed vampire mother—and Emily had reunited as if she never left us when we were little. I, on the other hand, stood back and watched. Our mother, who was once dainty and warm, was now hard and cold. My parents had concocted a plan for if the Deity ever came for them. My father would take his own life to ensure no one could use him to find us, and my mother was to drink the vial of my father’s blood she’d worn around her neck. She would then die with his blood—the blood of an original—in her system to eventually become a vampire, but the Deity would think she was dead. If my dad wasn’t an original, my mother would’ve had to be bitten first, then drink his blood, which wouldn’t have worked.

Lily’s change in attitude might have come when the Deity came, or it might have developed slowly over the twelve years she’d been gone from my life. All I knew was that Lily wasn’t the mother I remembered, and the tension between us was strong.

Emily, Lizzie, and Sonya headed off to the kitchen. Sonya touched my arm in passing, a slight gesture to let me know I should relax, which was something she did often.

Are you okay? Ethan asked as the others left the room.

Yeah. I puffed out a sigh. It’s just . . . what is Lily’s problem with me? I get that I shut people out on occasion—

Ethan raised his brows. On occasion?

Whatever. You know what I mean. I inhaled louder than I wanted to. It’s just frustrating. When we left New York City, I was so excited and scared to see her. It’s been twelve years since I thought she was dead. Then it was like she pushed me away. She didn’t do that with Emily. No, she embraced Emily, but me . . . nope. She didn’t respond to me in any way other than sheer disappointment. How many times does she need to tell me how I put Emily’s life at risk with my poor decisions after leaving Maine? I was a kid, taking care of another kid who didn’t even know what we were. My fingernails dug into my temples, trying to relieve some of the annoyance.

Tasi, talk to her. She’s your mother. Ethan cupped my cheek, running his finger across it. I’m sure she’ll listen.

"No, she shut me out. She should want to talk to me, and not just when she wants to remind me what a letdown I’ve become. Narrowing my eyes, I pushed his hand from my face and leaned away. Are you taking her side?"

No, Tasi. I’ll support you whether you want to talk to her or not. I just want you to think about it. She deserves to know how amazing you are. His hands rested on my waist, gently nudging me toward the kitchen.

Even with Ethan by my side, I was frustrated, so I took my time and strolled to the kitchen. Making Lily wait brought me some satisfaction. I knew it was petty, but I didn’t care.

Sonya, Lizzie, Emily, and Lily were sitting at the table. Lily’s blonde, tousled hair was pulled back in a bun, and her eyes, which matched ours, turned to Devin. Emily watched me with squinted eyes. Those were her stop causing trouble eyes. But, come on now, she’d have more luck telling a zebra to remove its stripes.

Devin, Heidi is looking for you. She’s out back, Lily said. He gave me one last glance before heading out to see his mother. Ethan followed me across the room, where he rested against the counter. I leaned on him.

Do you two want to sit over here and be part of the group? Lily asked. The sternness in her voice never faltered. I wanted to hear the voice I remembered as a child. Not the hard, cold vampire voice without a trace of emotion.

No, we’re fine here, I said before Ethan could do or say anything. I pressed my lips into a thin line and narrowed my eyes.

The corner of Sonya’s lip turned up for a quick moment. She knew oh-so-well how snarky I could be. We’d had a lot of those moments in New York, but that changed once I accepted the fact that Sonya had had no choice but to lie to us to protect Emily and me. I believed Lily had lied to protect herself. Maybe that wasn’t fair of me to say, but it was fine. I didn’t need her growing up, and I sure as hell didn’t need her now.

Emily gave me another disapproving look—big shocker there. Sonya and I had grown close, and Emily and Lily were now close. It was hard because for a long time, it was only Emily and me, and I missed that. She had my back and I had hers. I wasn’t quite used to this new dynamic of depending on others.

We found where Jelena is staying, and it’s close by, Lily started.

My body stiffened. Ethan’s arm snaked around my waist, and I leaned back into him. He was probably fully aware this news might cause a nuclear explosion.

So when are we going to attack? I used the word we loosely. Because that bitch was mine. The memory of Jelena trying to kill Emily during her transition came to the forefront of my mind—all so she could steal her dhampyr blood, which was unusable because Emily hadn’t finished the change yet. I was so going to kill her.

We aren’t sure. Once we do some scouting of the premises, we’ll have a better idea of how many Deity members are guarding her, and if she’s still the only vampire working with them, Lily said.

I tried to bite my tongue, really I did. So basically, we’re going to sit back while she gets away again instead of going straight in to get her? Figures.

Tasi, we can’t go in blind, Emily said.

Heat rushed to the surface of my skin. Of course you agree with Lily. I tried to stop the eye roll. Okay, no, I didn’t.

Call her Mom, Tasi.

I don’t think I’ve ever been mad at Emily, but it was hard at this moment not to get pissed. I was glad she’d reconnected with our mother, but that didn’t make Lily right all the time. Plus, if I didn’t want to call her Mom, then Emily should back off. Pressure built within my chest. My heart started to thump.

Why don’t we talk about next steps, Sonya said, her interruption timed nicely.

Sounds like a good idea. Lily refocused her attention back on the task at hand. Tomorrow, Heidi will call for a crew to scope out their facility. They’re going to look for access points and try to get a count of people there. She paused and looked directly at me. The look said it all. Whatever she was going to say next was going to make me mad, and she knew it. They’ll do this over the next week. Then we can assess our next steps.

Ethan’s grip loosened. It was as if he knew there was no stopping what happened next. I walked up to the table and slammed my hands down. The reverberation filled the room. Why is it going to take so long to scope out the place? She could leave in a week, and then what? She gets away again. Are you waiting for her to finish Emily off?

Emily flinched.

Antanasia Nadia Vasile! Lily growled.

Let’s go for a walk, Tasi. Ethan grabbed my hand. His voice was silky. When he looked at me, those brown eyes grabbed hold.

You’re foolish to wait. I turned from the table, not saying another word, and walked out of the room.

2

All I wanted was to be away from Lily. She didn’t get it. How could she? She wasn’t around for all we went through with Jelena. Waiting a week to attack was risky, because if she took off, we may never find her again. My breathing slowed the farther from the kitchen I was.

The farmhouse was rather large. My room was on the top floor, which gave me privacy, and it was a nice change. The vampires stayed in the lower level, which was refinished into an area like the New York coven’s sleeping quarters. Basically, it was set up like dorm rooms. Ethan stayed with me more often than not, which was also nice. When we entered my room, I sat on the bed and stared at the pale-yellow wall.

You know they’re doing what they can to move this along, Ethan said.

There was a careful tone as he spoke. He was doing it to ensure I didn’t have another outburst. I didn’t blame him, based on how I usually reacted to things.

I’m fully aware. You don’t need to tread lightly or tell me I’m an ass. I gripped the side of my bed, bunching the sheets in my hand.

He shifted to the bed and put his finger under my chin, pulling my face toward his until our eyes connected. He pressed his full lips to mine. His breath was sweet and intoxicating.

When I pulled back, I grumbled, I’ll apologize later. My throwing a fit was stupid, and I knew it.

Famous last words of Tasi, Ethan teased as he landed one more kiss on the side of my neck.

There was a knock on the door.

Come in, I said.

Sonya stood there in her black slacks and light gray turtleneck, looking elegant and dangerous. Her dark brown eyes scrutinized me. Now that I knew she was my aunt, it was so obvious we were related. We shared some of the same physical features, such as our espresso-colored hair and almond-shaped eyes. It took me a while to see how much we looked alike because for most of my stay in the New York coven, I’d thought she was trying to hurt Emily and me. I also thought we shared some of the same anger issues. The difference between us was she’d had over a thousand years to perfect it and learn to hold her tongue.

Please don’t tell me how wrong I was—I’m already aware, I blurted out.

Sonya’s face didn’t falter. Actually, it’s time to work on your compulsion. My cheeks burned. I know you, Tasia. You’re riddled with guilt over your mouth running away and will find your mother later to apologize. She happens to be the new me.

What? No way. Just because I ran my mouth at the New York coven and basically disagreed with everything she did doesn’t mean she was as frustrating as my mother.

Ethan laughed. Sonya makes a valid point.

My eyes tightened as I looked at him. His grin widened in reply. He’d pay for that later.

So, what’s on the agenda today? I asked.

Compulsion was a result of the second dhampyr transition. It’s not something all dhampyrs could learn, and the amount of control it took was massive. What I remembered most was my head felt like someone had sawed into it, allowing my brain to spill out onto the floor. The most interesting part was that all vampires could use compulsion on humans, but only Sonya—an original vampire—and dhampyrs had the ability to use compulsion on vampires as well.

My goal was to eventually master compulsion like Sonya had. If I ever had the opportunity to use it on Jelena, I would, but I didn’t want to fry my own brain in the process.

I was thinking you could try to get Ethan to physically harm someone. Sonya watched me through her thick lashes.

I couldn’t have heard that right. There was no way I’d agree to letting Ethan harm someone against his will.

Ethan slowly cocked his head toward Sonya. And who will I be hurting? He shifted his body uncomfortably.

Me, she said.

This was not what I signed up for. Um, you want me to compel Ethan . . . to hurt you? Did I hear that correctly? I wanted to learn compulsion, but did I want to learn it at the cost of harming someone I cared about?

Yes, we’ll be specific about the task so we can stop him when needed, Sonya said.

And what’s this going to prove? Now I found myself shifting in my seat. Making the guy I wanted to be with attack someone I respected wasn’t sitting well with me. What if he couldn’t control himself and hurt her fatally? Ethan wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

Let’s think about it, she said. You have compelled him to pick up a book, clean your room—that one made me giggle—and brush your hair. What do all three things have in common?

As I inspected her eyes, I could tell she had a point. I needed to know what that point was. Um, those tasks didn’t hurt anyone?

No, Tasia. They’re all things Ethan would do for you even if you didn’t compel him.

"Hey. I would not clean her room, Ethan said. After a moment, he tilted his head, looking toward me with a smile. Well, maybe with the right reward." He winked. I could stare at his russet-brown hair and eyes all night long.

Sonya tapped her fingernail on the tall dresser in my room. Concentrate, you two.

Sorry, we said in unison, pulling our eyes off each other.

Ethan, do you want to hurt me? Her question seemed so stupid. Of course he didn’t want to hurt Sonya. He’d lived in the New York City coven with her for over a hundred years. She’d chosen him as the person to find and bring Emily and me to the coven so she could protect us. Remembering how troublesome I was when Ethan and Lizzie first showed up made me glad they didn’t give up on us

No. That’s when I saw something had clicked with Ethan. You’re going to have Tasi compel me to do something I don’t want to do to see if she can force me into it.

My palms were sweaty, and my chest tightened. This idea made me want to call off today’s lesson. The thought