5. Roll Tide!

FIVE

roll tide!

The trip to the Gulf Coast is uneventful and quick. Less than two hours later, we're on the ground in a small regional airport not far from the emerald green water.

"God, why does it feel like a sauna out here?" Luna asks as she dramatically exits the jet. "My makeup just melted off my face."

"You're still beautiful," Micah announces, making her cheeks turn pink. I can't help but smile at the energy flowing between them.

"So are you," she answers while punching him in the shoulder.

Vampires are immune to temperature changes, but the hot air slaps me in the face, telling me it's even more humid than Charleston. A clone of the black SUV from South Carolina sits on the tarmac and is currently being used as a leaning post for one of the largest people I've ever seen. Long legs are the host of a pair of shorts that are so thin that I can see the palm trees on his boxers. A pale green Jimmy Buffet shirt and a pair of worn flip-flops are the perfect accessories for the lackadaisical lycan energy flowing from him.

"Hey!" He waves as he greets us. "Welcome to the Gulf Coast." He moves in front of Topher, bowing his head slightly. "Christopher."

"It's good to see you again, Fynn," Topher says, patting him on the shoulder.

"You, too, sir." He turns toward the rest of our group. "Fynn Jackson." His eyes lock on Amelia. "Is this your mate?" he asks Topher, sniffing the air in front of him.

"He's my mate," she answers with a laugh.

Fynn moves in front of Amelia. The top of her head barely reaches the pecks showing through his too-tight shirt. "I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure to meet you in person."

"Thank you," she answers. For the first time since meeting her, her energy feels awkward, helping me realize she's not a fan of being the center of attention. She nods around the group, introducing everyone to the tall lycanthrope.

"It's a pleasure." He opens the door to the SUV. "We have a short trip to the beach house."

"Beach house?" Luna asks from the back seat.

"Yeah, it's one of the smaller homes the pack owns. There are only twelve bedrooms, but it should be perfect for y'all."

"Yeah, that should be plenty," Amelia scoffs.

Less than ten minutes later, Fynn stops in front of a three-story house lifted high on pedestals. To the unsuspecting eye, this house is no different from any of the others nearby. To my eyes and nose, it reeks of lycan.

We follow Fynn through the parking area/game room, up a flight of stairs, to a regular front door. He unlocks it, handing a set of keys to Topher afterward. "It's yours for as long as you need." The door opens, revealing a large open room, ending with a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows facing the clear water of the Gulf.

"This is beautiful," Luna whispers.

Fynn smiles at her admission. "I've taken the liberty of stocking the refrigerator and pantry." He clears his throat. "Several donors are willing to provide nourishment for the vampires if needed."

"That won't be necessary," Amelia and Thorne answer in unison. I shift from foot to foot, thinking about the disgusting taste of the goat's blood they both drink.

"Let me know if you need anything," Fynn says, moving to leave. "If not, I'll be back tomorrow morning, and we will begin the search." He claps his hands, clearly excited about the hunt.

"Anyone else hungry?" Micah asks the lycan in the room. They collectively agree they're starving as he and Luna head toward the kitchen to start dinner.

Thorne follows me up the next flight of stairs to a long hallway filled with doors on each side. I peek into the rooms, all of which are decorated in the same style, before choosing one that faces the water.

"Do you mind if I stay in here with you?" he asks, following me into the room.

I turn toward the man I love. "Of course not. I assumed you would."

Thorne looks down at my words. "You've felt a little distant the past few days. I thought maybe you could use some space."

I step in front of the captain. "I have had a lot on my mind, but pulling away from you wasn't the catalyst. I'm sorry if it came across that way."

Long arms wrap around my shoulders, pulling me tightly to his chest. "It's understandable. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotion. I know how hard it was to see the immort…to see Gretchen." His words bring tears to my eyes. "That's why we're here. We're going to stop Patrice."

"How?"

"Guys!" Luna's voice echoes through the house. "You need to see this!"

Thorne and I race down the stairs at vampire speed, finding her standing in front of an oversized television set. A ticker runs across the bottom of the screen. "Read that." She points to the screen .

Search teams are still looking for the two missing children. If you have any information on the whereabouts of 10-year-old Jensen Montgomery or 8-year-old Sarah-Beth Olson, please contact the authorities immediately. Both were last seen in the Meeting-Place area of Gulf Shores, Alabama.

"Could that be Patrice?" Micah asks, moving to Luna's side.

"There's no way of knowing, but my gut says yes," Topher answers, as he and Amelia stand side by side on the staircase. "I don't believe in coincidences."

Tears fill my eyes, thinking of the two children she's adding to her collection. "Can we save them before…before she changes them?"

Every pair of eyes in the room looks at the floor in unison, giving me the answer I already know. Turning them into mindless killing machines would have been the first thing on her agenda.

"How do we find them?" Luna asks the next question.

"Fynn's coming back tomorrow morning," Topher answers.

"We can't wait until tomorrow!" I shout at the room of mythological creatures. "Tomorrow morning, she may be gone, or heaven forbid, she'll take another child."

"Elsbeth," Amelia says, moving off the staircase. "The lycan must sleep and eat. The three of us don't need sleep, but they do. If we go out half-cocked and unprepared, we're going to end up making dumb mistakes that will cost a lot more in the long run."

"Two children are missing and most likely monsters by now. What could be worse?" I demand.

"Three children and one of us," she retorts. Dammit, she's right, and it pisses me off. I turn, walking away from the television. "Why don't we go for a walk?" Amelia asks, moving to my side. She wraps her arm through mine, pulling me through the open sliding glass doors onto the deck overlooking the beach without giving me much choice.

We walk down the flight of stairs and past a small swimming pool in silence. The roar of the waves sends calming energy my way. I copy Amelia's movements, taking off my shoes to walk in the white sand and stopping where the water meets the grit.

"I'm sorry," she says, breaking the awkward silence.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry you've had to learn how to be a vampire on your own."

I huff a laugh. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"I don't know your story, but you're not the only person who has one."

I stare at the woman, not sure if I should be pissed or listen. "I didn't mean to imply my life was worse than anyone else's."

"You didn't. But you carry a huge chip on your shoulder. It's obvious in everything you do and, lately, everything you say."

I feel the tears form behind my eyes with her words. My mind flashes to Kragen and the hole I lived in for a century. She's right. I've been an insufferable bitch.

She starts walking, scuffing her bare feet in the water as she moves. "Do you mind if I tell you my story?"

"I'd like that."

"Before I begin, please know that I am in no way saying that one person's story is worse or better than another." She sighs. "I can tell you've been isolated for many years. I think hearing from someone who shares a similar story could be helpful for you."

I nod, not trusting my words.

Amelia takes a deep breath before continuing. "I was born to a single mother and never met my father. She raised me in the toughest neighborhood in New Orleans." She huffs a laugh. "I say raised, but to be honest, she didn't raise me at all. She left when I was thirteen. She would go missing for days at a time until one day, she never came home. I was alone without money to pay for utilities, food, you name it."

"I'm sorry." I don't know why I'm apologizing.

"I'm not looking for sympathy," she reprimands. "Topher's mother was my school nurse, and she saved me. There's a lot more to that story, but she's the one who helped me when no one else would." She stops walking, turning toward the open water. "I was in high school when I first met him. I didn't remember until I was changed into a vampire, but he followed me throughout my life, starting when I was just a child."

"Who?"

"Harrison." Amelia wipes a silent tear. "Harrison Chamberlin. One of the oldest vampires in New Orleans." She pauses and takes a deep breath. "I looked like the woman he was obsessed with. So obsessed, in fact, that he thought I was her reincarnated." She huffs. "Hell, he even had me convinced for a while." She kicks a hole in the sand. "He paid a witch to erase any memories of him and the lycan world, and he left me alone for ten years. During those years, I went to college, got my life on track, had food to eat, a warm bed to sleep in, and I was going somewhere. I was on the fast track to receiving my Ph.D. when my world imploded."

"What happened?"

"Harrison," she repeats the name from earlier. "This time he pretended to be a transfer student in one of my classes, and I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. So much so that I gave him every part of me." She doesn't have to elaborate on the meaning behind her words. "I trusted him. I was in love with him. When Viktor rescued me from Harrison, I believed he was the bad guy and Harrison was nothing more than a victim of Viktor's insanity."

"Viktor? Thorne's maker."

Amelia laughs. "Even in death, Viktor is larger than life." She bends down, picking up a broken seashell, and tosses it out to sea. "Viktor wasn't the monster I was groomed to believe he was. Turns out, I was in love with the monster." She throws a second shell into the water. "Viktor was trying to protect me. His methods were a little off kilter, to say the least." She laughs at a silent memory. "Viktor is Celeste's father. Celeste is my maker."

I begin piecing the parts of the puzzle together between Amelia, Thorne, Viktor, and the immortal child, Celeste. "He's the one who became a vampire for his daughter?"

"Yes. There's more to the story, but the details aren't important. By the time I realized who and what Harrison was, it was too late. He'd already killed so many people…so many good people, all to keep his lies and me for himself." She swallows deeply. "He attacked me. I didn't know why for the longest time, but over the years, I've come to realize that in Harrison's mind, if he couldn't have me, no one could." Amelia stands quietly, overlooking the water. "He drained nearly every ounce of blood from my system. The only thing that stopped him from killing me was Violet, another of his creations. She killed him before he could kill me."

"Where is Violet?"

"New Orleans," she answers. "She's strong, rich, and beautiful. Living the life she deserves on her own terms. Living the life that was stripped away from her. "

"Celeste?" I ask. "How did she become your maker?"

"I barely had a pulse. Nothing more than a lifeless body. She took my choice away. She turned me into this."

"Are you angry?"

Amelia stares into the Gulf. "Maybe a little at first. I'm not anymore. If it weren't for being transformed into a vampire, I wouldn't be married to the love of my life. I wouldn't have a baby at home, and I wouldn't have ever learned who I truly am."

"My choice was taken away, too."

"Most don't have a choice. Viktor is the only one I've personally known who chose this life." She turns, facing me. "I know you've had a shitty life, and I wish I could take that pain away from you. But you're at a precipice. You can choose to run, hide from your past, and avoid your future, or you can choose to accept what you are and use that pain to make you stronger. Kragen will get what's coming to him. Patrice will get what's coming to her. They always do. Don't let the monster inside of you take over. Don't become something that is feared. Use the pain as your strength. Take back your power, and use it for good. I sense something in you that you may not sense in yourself. I don't know exactly what it is, but there's something inside you, waiting to come out. Use it."

"Can you teach me?"

Amelia smiles. "I'd be honored. "

Talking to Amelia eases the tension I've mindlessly carried around for years, hell, centuries. The anger and frustration are still there, but hearing someone else's story, I realize I'm not alone in this fucked-up vampire world. The two of us enter the beach house just as the lycan finish cooking.

"Dinner's ready!" Luna announces from the kitchen. "I hope you like chicken and rice."

"I'd eat just about anything," Topher answers, leaving the couch and heading toward the dining area.

"Our meal should be delivered soon," Amelia says, pulling her phone from her pocket. "Actually, this says it's been delivered." She opens the front door and returns moments later, carrying a large styrofoam cooler.

"Goat's blood?" Thorne asks, taking the box from her.

"Enough for all three of us. I had it shipped from home."

"Yaaay," I answer. The sarcasm in my voice is more than obvious.

"I got you covered," Luna announces from the table. "I can spare a few liters."

"No. I need to learn to drink this stuff. You'll need your strength. Thank you for the offer, but it's time for me to grow up." I take the glass bottle from Amelia's hands and take a deep breath before chugging it like a frat boy during spring break.

The blood hits my stomach, reminding me of my time aboard Kragen's ship when my two choices were rat blood or nothing. I cough, trying to hold it down.

"It's an acquired taste," Amelia says, copying my drinking style. "You'll get used to it over time."

"I can't wait." I smile, screwing the lid back on the bottle.