worried. He wasn’t even home
when Jack arrived. Silver offered to stay and keep him company, but
he thought her parents would show up with pitchforks and flaming
torches, so he politely pushed her out the door. Anyway, it was
nice to have the house to himself for a change. He walked from room
to room, enjoying the silence.
Jack dropped onto the sofa, putting his feet
up on the coffee table. He grabbed the remote control and flipped
through the channels, searching for something decent to watch. His
stomach rumbled. Billy hadn’t gone to the grocery store in a few
days, so they were living on crumbs. There wasn’t any point in
searching the kitchen for something to eat. It was too bad they
lived so far out of town. He could have ordered a pizza.
The front door flew open, hitting the
interior wall. Jack leaped into the air, spinning around and
landing on his feet like a cat, all senses on high alert.
Adrenaline rushed through his veins. Without looking down, he
grabbed for the nearest possible weapon, the knife Billy had used
to spread mustard on a cracker that morning. His fingers tapped
around the table a few times before touching cool metal. Grasping
it firmly, he walked to the door on cautious feet.
He strained his ears to pick up the slightest
sound. Nothing. The silence filled his head, louder than a
sixty-chair orchestra. He crossed the threshold, stood on the porch
and searched the darkness for movement. If the Reigns were right
about him getting his powers back, now would be a good time.
Instinct warned him that he wasn’t alone.
It was dark outside except for the light of
the moon, but it wasn’t a full moon. Not yet. At least he didn’t
have to worry about werewolves. The barn door banged against the
red building’s exterior, opening and closing at random. Jack nearly
jumped out of his skin. He crossed his arms against the growing
Arctic breeze and wished he’d put his coat on before venturing
outside. Vampires didn’t get cold. For some reason he kept
forgetting that he wasn’t a vampire anymore.
He tucked the knife between his arm and ribs
in case he was right about being watched. An inner voice screamed
at him to hurry back inside. Mortal now, he couldn’t recklessly
walk around at night anymore. He wanted to adhere to human rules,
but it was hard. Physically he was human, but on the inside he
remained a vampire. He thought as a vampire. He reacted as a
vampire.
Something big whipped past him and smacked
him in the face. Jack stumbled backwards. The knife flew out of his
hand. He scanned the yard again for movement but found nothing. It
came from a different direction this time. A painful slap stung his
cheek, cutting him just below the eye. A third hit knocked him to
the ground.
He rolled over on hands and knees and tried
to catch his breath. Being human wasn’t as easy as he remembered.
The front door seemed a mile away now. If he ran fast, maybe he’d
make it. Before he put his plan into action, feet landed directly
in front of him. There were three pairs. He didn’t have to look up
to know who the feet belonged to: his old friends had returned.
A hand dangled in front of his face. He took
it without hesitation. Cowboy jerked him up to a standing position.
They stood toe to toe. Cowboy’s eyes were solid black, seething
with anger, and Jack searched his mind for a way to diffuse the
situation.
“We brought you home to die,” Cowboy said.
His head tilted to the left like a dog trying to figure out a
strange sound. “Imagine our surprise to find you still alive. Why
aren’t you dead, Jackpot?”
Cowboy wanted to know if Jack had tricked
him. Reasonable question. Unfortunately, Cowboy was not going to
like the answer.
“The werewolf venom changed me,” Jack
explained. He forced a smile, working hard to keep the fear from
showing. Their paranoia might cause them to do something
regrettable. He took a deep breath before announcing, “I’m human
again.”
Summer gasped.
Lily shook
when Jack arrived. Silver offered to stay and keep him company, but
he thought her parents would show up with pitchforks and flaming
torches, so he politely pushed her out the door. Anyway, it was
nice to have the house to himself for a change. He walked from room
to room, enjoying the silence.
Jack dropped onto the sofa, putting his feet
up on the coffee table. He grabbed the remote control and flipped
through the channels, searching for something decent to watch. His
stomach rumbled. Billy hadn’t gone to the grocery store in a few
days, so they were living on crumbs. There wasn’t any point in
searching the kitchen for something to eat. It was too bad they
lived so far out of town. He could have ordered a pizza.
The front door flew open, hitting the
interior wall. Jack leaped into the air, spinning around and
landing on his feet like a cat, all senses on high alert.
Adrenaline rushed through his veins. Without looking down, he
grabbed for the nearest possible weapon, the knife Billy had used
to spread mustard on a cracker that morning. His fingers tapped
around the table a few times before touching cool metal. Grasping
it firmly, he walked to the door on cautious feet.
He strained his ears to pick up the slightest
sound. Nothing. The silence filled his head, louder than a
sixty-chair orchestra. He crossed the threshold, stood on the porch
and searched the darkness for movement. If the Reigns were right
about him getting his powers back, now would be a good time.
Instinct warned him that he wasn’t alone.
It was dark outside except for the light of
the moon, but it wasn’t a full moon. Not yet. At least he didn’t
have to worry about werewolves. The barn door banged against the
red building’s exterior, opening and closing at random. Jack nearly
jumped out of his skin. He crossed his arms against the growing
Arctic breeze and wished he’d put his coat on before venturing
outside. Vampires didn’t get cold. For some reason he kept
forgetting that he wasn’t a vampire anymore.
He tucked the knife between his arm and ribs
in case he was right about being watched. An inner voice screamed
at him to hurry back inside. Mortal now, he couldn’t recklessly
walk around at night anymore. He wanted to adhere to human rules,
but it was hard. Physically he was human, but on the inside he
remained a vampire. He thought as a vampire. He reacted as a
vampire.
Something big whipped past him and smacked
him in the face. Jack stumbled backwards. The knife flew out of his
hand. He scanned the yard again for movement but found nothing. It
came from a different direction this time. A painful slap stung his
cheek, cutting him just below the eye. A third hit knocked him to
the ground.
He rolled over on hands and knees and tried
to catch his breath. Being human wasn’t as easy as he remembered.
The front door seemed a mile away now. If he ran fast, maybe he’d
make it. Before he put his plan into action, feet landed directly
in front of him. There were three pairs. He didn’t have to look up
to know who the feet belonged to: his old friends had returned.
A hand dangled in front of his face. He took
it without hesitation. Cowboy jerked him up to a standing position.
They stood toe to toe. Cowboy’s eyes were solid black, seething
with anger, and Jack searched his mind for a way to diffuse the
situation.
“We brought you home to die,” Cowboy said.
His head tilted to the left like a dog trying to figure out a
strange sound. “Imagine our surprise to find you still alive. Why
aren’t you dead, Jackpot?”
Cowboy wanted to know if Jack had tricked
him. Reasonable question. Unfortunately, Cowboy was not going to
like the answer.
“The werewolf venom changed me,” Jack
explained. He forced a smile, working hard to keep the fear from
showing. Their paranoia might cause them to do something
regrettable. He took a deep breath before announcing, “I’m human
again.”
Summer gasped.
Lily shook
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