“Yes,” I answered honestly. “I just wanted to see my mom sober and healthy for once, and none of you would let me.”
“Think you might understand why now?” he laughed darkly.
“Shit,” I rubbed my forehead with my free hand. “The rest of them, am I going to hear shit about this from here on out?”
Zac smiled at me, “Whatever it takes to keep you safe, Ellie.”
I knew I was screwed when they all got back to the house. All of this information about mom, and me finally understanding why she was a blackout drunk, it was enough to process without being chewed out by four massive vampires.
This day was surreal. My life was changed forever.
“You know that we will protect you with our lives,” Zac cut through my thoughts, “This bond is just starting, and it only gets stronger from here. We’re going to find Enzo soon enough, but right now, our number one priority is taking care of you and helping you understand just who and what you are.”
I knew who and what I was. I was theirs. I would give them my blood to help them stay safe and powerful. I would do anything for them.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Zac sped toward a luxury jet parked by the hangar of a tiny airstrip. The car came to a screeching halt in front of the steps that extended down from the plane.
“We need to move quickly. I sensed one of those asshole collectors following us, and I want this fucking plane in the air before he tracks us on it.”
I ran up the steps, Zac following me. Once we were in the jet, the stairs were retracted and the doors were closed.
“Hey, Nick, wheels up, now.”
“Engines are running, Zac.”
“Good.”
Zac’s hand was on my lower back, leading me past cream-colored leather chairs and a long sofa. We marched toward the back of the plane, passing another luxurious seating area, and we faced a metal door.
“What the hell?” I asked.
Zac pressed his palm against the door, and I watched in awe as a bright light scanned his hand before the door slid open.
“Go,” he said. I heard the door close behind me, and I turned and saw Zac’s serious face. “Sorry, no seatbelts for now,” he forced a smile. “You’re going to have to trust our friendly pilots on takeoff while you’re in here.”
I turned and walked past a toilet area to my right, and a little desk area with a flat screen TV above it just beyond that until I reached a large bed with white plush bedding and about a hundred throw pillows.
I sat on the edge of the bed and watched Zac sit in a chair and pull out his phone. “Relax some,” he said. “It’s going to feel a little weird taking off sitting on that bed. Why don’t you come sit in the chair over here?”
“Good idea.” I took the high back leather chair and sat across from where Zac smiled and put the phone next to his ear.
“Hey, yeah, she’s with me. We’re airborne in about five minutes,” he said to the person on the other end of the phone. “The collectors took her mom. Yep. Braden, Cole, and Logan are making sure the rest of the fuckers don’t get away and report Elle’s identity to Enzo. Turns out that dick didn’t realize her kid was a Life Blood too.”
Pause.
“Too fucking fixated on thinking her mom was the last and final one.” Zac said with a grin before his face suddenly grew black with anger. “What the hell are you talking about? Is the healer okay? Can…” Zac rubbed his forehead. “Then she’s not coming there. FUCK!” he yelled. “Where’s that place at?”
What the hell is going on now?
“Got it. Yeah, I’ll hold, hurry the hell up,” Zac put the phone on speaker and looked over at me. “Collectors are at the house and in the town, Lucas is going to get us to his place up in Canada. Damn it.” He let out a breath. “They attacked all of them. Thank God a healer is on the way to help them. Fuck this new venom or whatever bullshit Enzo is juicing these creeps up with.”
“Will they be okay?” I asked, feeling the plane gaining speed and starting to take off.
“They’ll be fine, three healers are on their way with a witch doctor to help them. We just can’t have you showing up there. Looks like our little fortress will be abandoned for a while now.”
“You there?” I heard a voice from the speaker phone ask.
