Page 12 of Wanted 3
He lay on the bed just as I’d left him.
“Vlad,” I gasped, diving onto the sheets beside him.
He didn’t move. He lay there, still as a corpse.
I shook him, hard.
Nothing.
In desperation, I pummeled his chest. “Wake up!”
Still nothing.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
How was I going to deal with my demon dad if he showed up before Vlad woke?
Abandoning him, I ran to Jeremy’s room, shoving open the door.
The room was empty.
"Jeremy!" I screamed, leaving his room and running downstairs.
Where would a growing boy be if not in his room? The kitchen.
I found him there, kneeling before the black chest Leonard brought home.
The lid was open and whatever black smoke had been there before seemed to have escaped.
That was probably a bad thing. "Jeremy, what are you doing?"
He looked up at me, his eyes shadowed. "What's wrong?"
"You shouldn't be messing with that trunk," I said, worry and anxiety warring within me. I had no idea what the trunk contained, but I didn't have time to deal with it now.
He looked down sheepishly. "Sorry."
"It's okay, buddy. But I need you to stay close to me." I headed for the block of knives and selected the largest one. I had to defend us. At least until sunset.
“What happened?”
“It’s Dad,” I said. “He’s not normal anymore.”
“Was he…ever?” Jeremy asked nervously.
“Well, he’s worse now,” I said grimly. “Like he’s on some kind of drugs.” Bog troll blood could be considered a drug. Didn’t account for the glowing eyes, though. “We just have to wait a few minutes. The sun will set soon. Then, Vlad will be here.”
“Vlad?”
“The Count,” I sighed. Now was as good a time as any to introduce Jeremy to his new reality. He had to know. Now. Especially if Dad showed up at the door with fangs and glowing like he’d been dipped in radiation.
I explained it all, as fast and gently as I could.
Jeremy took the news well. Maybe too well. “Dracula?” he repeated, his face splitting into a wide grin. “TheDracula?”
I nodded; not sure he was taking this the right way. “It’s—”
“Freakingawesome.”