The Vampiric Housewife (22 page)

    
Ethan threw some cash down on the table and they went back to the motel where Charlie was pacing frantically.

    
“Where the hell were you? What happened?” he asked then he saw Ethan. “Who is he?”

    
“We got lost,” John quickly said. “Turned around on the street and—“

    
“We had vampires following us—“ Harry added.

    
John looked down at his brother, annoyed by the interruption. “But we didn’t know that at the time. Mom fainted—“ Charlie’s eyes went to Valerie with worry.

    
“I’m fine. I just need to feed,” she said sitting down on a bed.

    
“But Ethan caught her,” Harry said.

    
“He told us about the vampires following us.
And
he stopped Harry from biting a human on the street.”

    
“Butthead,” Harry said punching his older brother in the arm.

    
Charlie quickly locked the door and discreetly checked behind the blinds. “Did the vampires follow you here?”

    
“No. They didn’t work for Venjamin. They were just curious about creatures who smelled like vampires but had beating hearts,” Ethan said. “It was not smart of you to bring your family here. You lived here before joining Venjamin. You talked about this place to the vampire who is hunting you. What were you thinking?”

    
“He’s doing the best he can!” John said defending his father. It seemed like someone had to.

    
Ethan ignored him. “I can get you out of Venjamin’s reach.”

 
   
“There is no such thing as out of Venjamin’s reach.”

    
Ethan’s only response was to stare at him with impatience.

    
“Why should I trust you?” Charlie asked. “I don’t know you.”

    
“Because I already saved your family once tonight. Because you didn’t know what you got yourself into when you aligned yourself with a man like Venjamin, and you sure as hell didn’t know what you had gotten yourself into when you ran from him.” Ethan hated incompetence. From everything that he had heard, Charlie Murray was the epitome of it. First he works for a man who preys on his own race, kills them at whim, breeds them like animals, experiments on them, then when he finally decides to escape, he doesn’t even make a plan. He goes in the exact direction that Venjamin knows he will head. He lets his family out alone in a strange city without thinking that other vampires hunt this ground, that they wouldn’t become territorial or realize that the family was different from them. He didn’t teach them how to fit in with humans. Hell, he didn’t even get them out of the 1950’s clothes! The kid was still wearing a Sangre Valley jacket for Christ’s sake! His family were innocents. They had no clue what they had been involved in. They were the victims. Charlie was far from that. If he didn’t have vital inside information on Venjamin and his experiments, Ethan had half a mind to leave him right here for Venjamin’s men to find, torture, and kill.

    
Charlie rubbed his forehead. He knew that he was in over his head. He didn’t like this Ethan fellow. He sure as hell didn’t want to admit the huge error he had made in coming to New York or letting his family wander the streets alone. But truth be told, he didn’t know what to do, where to turn, or how to save his family. He didn’t have a plan, not a real, practical one. He didn’t have one from the beginning and that was his biggest error. Maybe it was time for him to swallow his pride and admit it. It would also be a relief to pass the responsibility onto someone else’s shoulders.
    
“What do you plan to do with us?” he asked.

    
“I have a safe location. My superiors will house you and keep you safe. In return, all they ask is for you to tell them everything you did at the hospital and everything that you know.”

    
“I don’t know that much. My project was my family. I—“

    
“We’ll go,” Valerie said. “We can’t just keep running. Charlie will tell you whatever you need to know.”

    
Ethan turned his eyes to her. “Get your stuff together. We’ll spend the rest of the night in a new location. Tomorrow night we’ll be in the air.”

    
“I’ve secured a new car and—“ Charlie started. He wanted to contribute something.

    
“Stolen cars will only get you mixed up with the police. You’ve already got enough trouble without adding humans into the mix,” Ethan said. “I have it taken care of. She needs to feed,” he said looking at Valerie. He could sense her weakening.

    
She got off the bed. “We’ve got meat.”

    
“Have you taught them how to hunt humans?” Ethan demanded of Charlie.

    
“We don’t drink human blood,” Valerie announced. The whole room turned to look at her. “Not anymore. Animal meat and blood only.”

    
Ethan just nodded. “Vegetarians,” he said with respect and understanding. He had heard of such things. He even knew some vegetarians.

    
“What are you talking about?” Charlie asked. “There’s no reason—“

    
“No. It’s murder. You will not convince me for a second otherwise. I have already taken too many lives unknowingly. I’ve taken one knowingly. I won’t ever take one again. And I will not allow my children to become murderers.”

    
“But Mom—“ Harry protested.

    
“This is not a discussion. I am the parent and I have made a decision. Charlie, if you are to remain with us, you will not drink human blood.” She was staring him straight in the eye.

    
“What do you mean, if I am to remain with you?” His voice shook.

    
“I meant just what I said.”

    
John suddenly slammed his chair into the table. He stormed off into the bathroom and slammed the door. The room went silent.

    
“I suggest you feed and we get moving,” Ethan said after a moment.

    
Valerie nodded feeling Charlie’s eyes still staring at her. She refused to meet them. He was the father of her children, her pseudo-husband, so guilt consumed her for threatening to take away his family. But she fought it. Sooner or later the two of them would have to deal with their marriage and the toll taken on it. All she did was set one of her non-negotiable terms. She started to collect the kids’ few items lying around.

    
Amelia took the clothes and football out of her arms. “You eat first. I’ll get pack,” Amelia said.

    
Valerie just nodded. As she ate her raw meat, Harry sat on the table swinging his legs and quietly eating his meat without complaint. She didn’t mean it, that’s what Harry told himself. She was just mad at Charlie. Once they were somewhere safe, she would let them drink from humans again. Dad would just have to say he was sorry for everything, and Harry would apologize too for trying to bite that girl’s wrist, and Charlie would stay with them. They were a family. Moms, dads, and kids, they all belonged together. She was just mad, that was all.

    
John was in the bathroom desperately trying to call Lisa again with the stolen cell phone. But he kept getting the same message. He threw the phone at the tub trying to keep his tears of rage from spilling over. All he wanted to do was talk to Lisa. Tell her he missed her and that he loved her and about everything that had happened. Dr. Venjamin, Sangre Valley, the outside world, his mom threatening to leave his dad. Where the hell did she get off? He was the one who saved her. He was the one who got them all out of Sangre Valley. He fought off Drew and Rhett and that other vampire when they were attacked. Who the hell was this other guy? What gave him the right to say Charlie had done a bad job keeping them safe? Then for Mom to take his side over Dad’s? Charlie was her husband. Wives listened to their husbands. Not to arrogant strangers. What was her ultimatum about blood? If she didn’t want Charlie around, fine. John would go with Charlie. His father could keep him safe. And no matter what he would continue to feed on humans just to spite her.

    
Charlie sat on the bed staring at Valerie. He had fed when he went out to get the new car and some more money, but his body had gone cold again. After what she did when the sun burnt him, the way she lured that human in, slaughtered him, he thought that she had forgiven him. But there couldn’t be anything farther from the truth. She resented him for forcing her to kill a human. He would make it up to her. He could give up human blood. If that was the first step in repairing their relationship, he would do it. He would do anything to stay with Valerie and the kids. He loved them. She didn’t believe that. But he would make her believe it. Somehow.

    
Ethan stationed himself by the window to keep watch. He wanted out of this motel room. It wasn’t safe. But Valerie needed to eat before they left. He couldn’t have her fainting again. He wasn’t overly fond of the family drama either. He couldn’t help thinking that the best thing for this woman was to rid herself of her sniveling husband. Her kids—at least the oldest—did not seem to agree. He supposed they had never heard of divorce.

    
He smelled them before he saw them. Damn it! Six of them. Rhett, Drew, Angus, and three others, all younger, probably only a couple years old in their vampiric life so there would be a stronger bloodlust in them.

    
“Is there a window in the bathroom?” he asked.

    
“A small one. Why?” Valerie asked.

    
“We have company.” He broke the bathroom door down to a very surprised John. There were bars on the small bathroom window. He ripped them out with ease.

    
“Knock, knock!” Rhett called out before the door came crashing down.

    
Ethan threw their suitcase out then lifted John up without permission and stuck him through the window.

    
“Charlie, you always recommended New York. Now I can see why,” Rhett said. Charlie took a defensive stance baring his teeth as his family herded into the bathroom.

    
“You can’t take us all. You make this easy on me, and I’ll give you a quick death. If I have to fight you, I will make you suffer.”

    
John wiggled through the window. Ethan lifted Harry next.

    
“I won’t ever surrender to you,” Charlie snarled. “And if anything happens to my family, I will make sure you’re the one to suffer.”

    
“I guess we’re going to do this the fun way,” Rhett smirked as Drew and Angus moved around him.

    
“Amelia, come out, come out, wherever you are!” Drew yelled. Her blood was singing to him again, soprano vibrations were humming throughout his entire body. He felt like a wild animal on a chain. That chain was pulled tight and was choking him. Oh, how he wanted her.

    
Amelia was already through the window and helping her mother climb down.

    
“Last chance. They don’t belong to you. You’re not really married to Valerie. You aren’t a father. It was just a job, an experiment.”

    
Charlie lunged at his once friend.

    
“Charlie!” Ethan yelled. “Damn it.” He could save the family who were innocent or try to save Charlie who had the information. But before he could make a choice, two young vampires lunged at him. He was knocked against the wall, a set of teeth snapping at his neck, while the dark haired one yelled, “They went out the window!” As Rhett rammed Charlie into a wall, Drew and three other vampires bolted out the door in pursuit of the family. With one arm and burst of strength, Ethan threw the snapping blonde vampire into the tub. He then smashed the other vampire’s head into the mirror shattering it. Blondie had recovered and now had his arm around Ethan’s neck choking him from behind. Trying to strangle a vampire who didn’t have to breathe, dumb bastard. Ethan ripped the wooden towel rack from the wall and drove it through the dark vampire’s heart. The vampire disintegrated into an ashy mess on the floor. With the other vampire still choking him, he rammed his attacker into the wall once, twice, three times before his grip loosened enough for Ethan to throw him off. He stabbed the towel rack through blondie’s chest creating another pile of ash.