Page 7 of The Curse of Eternity
The walkie-talkie strapped to their torso crackled when they turned it on, and I nearly winced when Laura Tsosie spoke into it. “Guys, I found her.”
− 3 −
Stories to Tell
“Hey, Laura. Uh, how’d your hunt go?” My attempt at brevity fell flat under Laura’s scrutinizing stare.
“Where the hell have you been?” they demanded, and I actually winced when they advanced. “Everyone’s been off their rocker since you stopped answering your walkie—where the hellisyour radio?” Laura’s attention shifted to my bare shoulders.Damn it, I’d be hard-pressed to get anything by Laura even if they weren’t descended from those blessed by Naayéé’ Neizghání.
As Elias told it, the legendary Diné monster hunter had recruited and trained one of the Tsosies’ forefathers to battle against the evils of the world. While the Tsosies’ own unique bloodline lacked natural immunity to a vampire’scharms—like ours did—their strength, speed, and innate senses passed down through the lineage more than made up for any potential weakness.
Althoughourprogenitor was supposedly saved by an archangel, it never mattered much to me howwe’d been ‘gifted’ our abilities. End of the day, monsters needed slaying. That’s what vampires were, after all, and the Tsosies’ ancestors hadfought worse.Bet the undead didn’t anticipate that when they expanded to the Americas.
Before I had a chance to get my thoughts in order—boggled as to why the vampire had returned my machete but not my jacket and walkie-talkie—a familiar high voice called out.
“Oh my gosh!” Olivia’s strained squeal followed the soft sound of her footfalls across the concrete sidewalk. She rushed past Laura, who hadn’t moved, and threw her shorter arms around me. With my sheathed machete in one hand, I awkwardly patted Olivia’s back with my other. My older cousin pulled away only to stare up at me with tears brimming her wide blue-gray eyes. “You scared us half to death! I can’t believe you bailed on us without so much as a heads up—”
“I didn’t bail!” I retorted, not bothering to keep my voice down.
“Then where were you?” His gruff voice deepened with concern, and I automatically straightened up. Olivia stepped aside, leaving room for Johann to approach unimpeded. Hesitating, I glanced at Laura, who was mumbling into their walkie-talkie.
“I got kidnapped,” I blurted, and Laura stopped mid-sentence to look at me. Olivia’s mouth popped open while I stared up into Johann’s blue-gray eyes. “A vampire got the drop on me, and carted me off to a nearby building.” My voice was cool, casual, but my pulse raced. “It was close, I had to play possum for a bit, but I got ‘im.” I swallowed hard under Johann’s scrutiny.
His expression softened despite his gaze continuing to assess my body for injuries. Then he stepped forward to sling an arm around me. Tears pricked my eyes while I hugged my only living parent.
“Thank God you’re alright,” he whispered. When I nodded, his unkempt beard tickled my face.
“So you really weren’t…” Olivia glanced from me to Laura as Johann stepped back and shot her a vehement look. The accusation in Olivia’s eyes, mimicked by Laura’s brief shrug, set my chest ablaze.
“No, I really wasn’t.” This was why I lied. Not because it was smart, or safe. For fuck’s sake, that vampire was still out there, living who knows where inmyhome city. This whole night was my mistake, but I didn’t need to give my family anything else to use against me—
“So where’s the body?” Laura asked, walking closer on a very slight limp. Beneath the hem of their capri pants, a puckered pink healing scratch ran down from their knee to their ankle. My family weren’t the only fast healers. “Dad already went with Alaric and Andrew out to the desert to burn the oneswegot.”
“My Ford’s still parked across the way,” Johann said, shrugging out of his massive jacket to hand it to me. “As long as the head’s a ways from the body, we’ve got time before it reanimates—”
“I already burned it,” I stammered, sweat prickling my neck while I fumbled with donning his denim jacket. “Idiot had me in some basement boiler room. Once I lopped the head off the sucker, I dragged the body into the kiln. But, I mean, toting a head down the street wasn’t exactly an option…” My throat bobbed on a swallow, but they were listening to my hasty lies. “There was some lighter fluid and a box of matches—I guess the vampire was a smoker—so I managed on my own.”
Thinly-veiled panic set in at my attempt to weave between truth and tales. Except Johann’s impressed expression put me at ease, and simultaneously twisted my guilt like a knife. I chewed on the inside of my cheek under Laura’s dubious stare, echoed by Olivia’s fretfully furrowed brow.
Not wanting to be questioned further, I added, “So Andy went with Uncle Alaric, huh?” The prick probably didn’t care an ouncethat I’d gone missing. So much for my hope that any of them would have found me…
“Yep,” Laura answered, turning heel to stride up the sidewalk. Olivia went to follow, but paused when Johann placed his large rough hand on my shoulder.
“You shouldn’t have gone off on your own like that,” he said, his gaze steady on mine like an x-ray. “You know the rules. I won’t have you on hunts if you can’t keep to the code.” My throat ached, but I managed a nod.
“Andrew was taunting her,” Olivia piped up in my defense, but she closed her mouth when I widened my eyes at her.
“It’s not because of him,” I said, hoping to all hell that Johann wouldn’t think I was incapable of controlling my emotions. My father’s salt and pepper eyebrow rose, and I stammered, “Okay, he pissed me off. But it won’t happen again.” Mostly because I wouldn’t let them stick me with Andrew next time. Johann seemed to deliberate, and then ran his palm over his weathered face, smoothing back his short hair with a sigh.
“It won’t happen again,” I promised quietly.
“It better not,” he said, but my heart lightened to know he wasn’t banning me from future hunts. I breathed a sigh of relief, and the corner of Johann’s mouth lifted in a knowing smile. “Come on, kiddo, let’s get home.” Our fearless leader turned to follow Laura, whose athletic figure dashed across the street without looking either way.
Olivia sidled closer as we fell into step together. “What happened to your hair tie?” she whispered, and I compulsively ran my fingers through my ratty knots while the wind tangled the dark strands further.
“Got lost in the scuffle.” I patted my pocket, unconsciously checking for my phone which I already knew was stowed in Johann’s truck, and then froze. Whirling, I looked this way andthat to be sure I hadn’t dropped it on the sidewalk. Except the barren streets were just that—empty. “Shit!”
“What’s wrong?” Olivia’s eyes went wide, worried, and Johann stopped on the other side of the road. His hand reached for his machete. I waved him off, my brow furrowing in disappointment.
