Page 35 of Before We Burn

I roll my eyes, not wanting this to turn into the Connie show. “Bunny, why do we need Benny?”

Bunny walks over to Connie, each movement effortless, almost like she is floating just above the ground. It was eerie and uncomfortable being around Bunny when I first met her, but now it’s unsettling to my core. I can feel the power radiating off of her.

Standing in front of Connie, Bunny’s eyes go distant as she takes her in. Connie doesn’t move, doesn’t even try to stop her. Bunny’s hand moves to Connie’s cheek, her fingertips lightly grazing the skin there. “So much pain,” Bunny whispers.

I take a step forward, and Bunny’s eyes snap to me. “I can see everything, you know. The past, present, and future. I wish I could tell you—I wish I could tell all of you—but the voices, the spirits, told me I can’t. But I can tell you Benny is the next step. He has the information we need for the next phase.”

My brows lift so high I swear they reach my hairline. Bunny is different, I always knew that, but this is too much. Being able to see past, present, and future is an unheard of gift.

“Is there any way for us not to involve another human? Keeping this one alive,” I motion toward Everett and scoff, “has proven difficult. I was thinking about giving him back. He hates us, hates all of us. Why should I—we—continue to protect him? They killed Sahara.” My voice cracks, and the emotions I have been holding onto sneak through.

“That’s your decision to make,” Bunny says, stepping back.

I’m confused. She just told us we needed Benny. I look at Constantine, who’s watching Bunny with such interest.

“Bunny, just tell us what to do next. I don’t think we can effectively get the rest of the students back and take on another human. They’re extremely fragile.”

“She can’t,” Constantine says. “The rules are clear. She’s something more than an average vampire with gifts.” She looks at Bunny with a smile. “But what, I don’t know.”

Bunny doesn’t say anything. Her eyes focus on Connie while I move to stand between them. Whatever is happening can’t happen right now. By the looks of it, I can trust Bunny is either leading us down the right path or bringing us to our deaths.

“So, Benny is the next step, huh?” I question. “What makes you so sure?”

She looks up at me, a blank stare on her face. “The voices,” she whispers. “The voices told me to tell you. Keep prying and you’ll regret what you find. The rules are clear.”

She isn’t going to give me a direct answer, at least not the one I’m looking for. I want to argue with her, push to see if she is telling the truth, but something told me to trust her from the beginning, and that’s what I’m going to do.

I walk over to Everett who, regardless of the noise, is still fast asleep. I take him in, amused, as the man who has been trained to think we are dangerous and conniving is able to sleep so soundly in our presence. I like to think his subconscious is telling him we won’t hurt him—not if we don’t have to—but the logical part of my brain knows it’s because he is exhausted.

Days don’t mean anything to vampires, nights either. I don’t remember at what point it happened, but they just started to bleed together. I didn’t care what date it was, or the time. I just knew there was snow on the ground and a wind that could rip my cheeks apart if I didn’t cover them correctly.

Being a vampire is odd like that, though. There are so many experiences we share. Our bodies can get injured, we can feel pain and emotions. We just need blood to survive and they need balanced meals—grains and vegetables or meat. Every now and then I would try to eat what they ate, but it always tasted wrong. I was able to enjoy a few things, but the majority never got touched.

I shake Everett hard once, then twice. When he doesn’t wake after the third time, I go into the kitchen, fill a jug with water, and dump it on his face.

Everett wakes almost instantly, but I still empty the jug on him. He thrashes before sitting up, coughing and choking. “What the hell, Marz? You could’ve drowned me!”

He said my nickname out loud for the first time, and I hesitate for a moment before throwing the jug to the ground.

“I tried the nice way first. They can attest to that.” I point to Connie and Bunny, who stand awkwardly next to each other.

Everett's face falls. He looks back at me and whispers like they won’t be able to hear.

“Is that the Bunny we’ve been looking for? If yes, does she have to travel with us? I don’t think I can be in a car with her.”

I can’t help myself. I start laughing. Everett is genuinely afraid of the wrong person. “Everett, you’re scared of the one vampire who hasn’t hurt anyone…yet. I doubt she is going to start with you. Especially because she’s the one that decided your friend Benny is going to join us.”

Everett doesn’t look happy. His eyes widen and he shakes his head.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Excuse me? No?”

“Do you need me to spell it out for you? Did you lose that in your memories, too? No, Marzana. We aren’t getting him involved.”

I furrow my brows, confused as to why he wouldn’t want his friend to join us. He just found out the people he trusted embedded a tracking device inside his body as a child. Isn’t that enough to prove the people he’s working for aren’t the good guys? His words sting, and I hate that.

“Everett. We aren’t going to hurt him. We are trying to save the vampires he helped capture, that you helped capture.” My control is hanging by a thread.