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“I need to focus on my father. He’s coming here for me and he’s not going to be distracted by you or Ryan. I just need to make sure that he’s not able to get any palladium on me.”
Simon looked like he was about to argue, but Ryan spoke up before he could object. “Caitlin’s right. You probably know better than we do about how unbelievably strong her father’s become. And whatever sanity he once possessed has left him. He’s obsessed with becoming immortal and he’ll do anything to make it happen. In his mind, that’s synonymous with getting his hands on Caitlin. She’s the only one strong enough to fight him.”
“I’m not just serving her up on a goddamn platter to him,” Simon bit out. He turned to me, his expression determined. “As much as you want revenge on your father, you can’t sacrifice yourself either. The worst thing you can do is to be so intent on killing him that you get yourself killed in the process.”
I understood that Simon was worried about my safety, but the last thing I was concerned about was me. Instead of telling him what I truly believed, that sacrificing myself would be worth it if it meant defeating my father, I tried to reassure him. “I’m not going to be reckless, but this is my fight. I’ll accept all the help I can get, but at the end of the day, it’s between me and my father.”
Simon’s expression was grim but he didn’t argue any further. I just hoped he wouldn’t complicate matters by trying to protect me.
“Simon’s righ
t that he should focus on the other vardogers in bodies except for your father.” I was just as amazed as Simon was by Ryan’s agreement with him, but if Ryan noticed our surprise he ignored it and continued talking. “I’ll focus on the bodiless vardogers but I’m not sure how effective I’ll be since I’m sure palladium will be used against me. Regardless, I’ll try.”
“So I guess that’s our plan.” I tried to not sound disheartened. Even though I was much stronger than when I had initially faced my father, I couldn’t help feeling afraid the closer he got. I had to repeatedly tell myself that I could do this; that I could defeat my father.
The hours dragged on as we hashed and rehashed dozens of scenarios, trying to predict how my father would attack and what our strongest positions would be. When it felt like we had exhausted every scenario, one of us would come up with another and it would be picked apart at length. It was fiercely debated whether Ryan would use his gun. Simon was wholeheartedly for it, but the last thing I wanted was the police to arrive at the scene, and I was sure they would if gunshots were fired. Also, even though I knew the human’s soul was probably long extinguished, I couldn’t dismiss the slight chance that it could still be present, trapped while their vardoger controlled their actions. I wasn’t willing to take the chance of killing a human soul. Simon argued that staying alive was more important. Ryan compromised between the two positions, saying that he would only use his gun if he felt there was no other choice.
During our conversations and arguments, Ryan felt my father’s energy coming closer at a faster rate. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins in anticipation of his arrival. The sun was just starting to set when Ryan tensed, snapping his head toward the front door.
“He’s close,” he said softly, his eyes still trained on the front door. “Get ready.”
All my nerve-endings were on edge as we got into defensive positions. Simon guarded the back of the house while Ryan kept his attention on the front. I kept my eyes on the basement door in case he attacked from that direction. I was grateful that the house still had the electricity turned on; otherwise, we would have been completely in the dark.
Minutes felt like hours as we waited. My muscles were starting to clench painfully from being tense for so long, but I ignored them as my ears strained to hear any noise. The last thing I expected was to hear a key turning in the front door and to see the knob turn, as if someone was coming home after a long day at work. It was hard not to gape when my father walked casually through the door and looked at us as if he had expected to find us here.
He closed the door behind him and glanced at Ryan before dismissing him. Simon was at my side in a second but my father ignored him, focusing all his attention on me.
“Caitlin.” He smiled at me, but the smile was a gross exaggeration of affection, his eyes reflecting all the hatred he felt towards me. “It’s about time you came to see me.”
I blocked out his words. I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. I didn’t know why he was walking in here alone without his army of vardogers to protect him, but I wasn’t wasting this chance when he was vulnerable. I immediately started funneling my energy together, feeling my powers gathering until it was pulsating inside of me.
Instead of looking afraid, my father’s smile widened. “Are you sure you want to do that? I’m the only one who knows where your mother is.”
As quickly as my energies had gathered, they diminished into nothing as I absorbed his words. My heart started pumping so hard that it felt like it would burst from my chest. I didn’t know if this was a trick, but I couldn’t resist the temptation to hear what my father had to say.
“Prove it,” I demanded, my eyes narrowing. “Prove that my mother is alive in the next five seconds, otherwise I’m going to gladly destroy you.”
My father kept his eyes on me as he spoke. “Bring her in.”
The front door opened and Simon grabbed me when I stumbled back. I was unsure whether I was seeing a mirage. Maybe I so desperately wanted my mother to be alive that I was conjuring her up in my mind. But I had a feeling that this was no figment of my imagination. The image of my mother that I had seen only in pictures stared back at me. She was accompanied by a small balding man who had a grip on one of her arms.
“It’s my mother,” I whispered, my voice breaking. I felt like I was going crazy. I had come to terms with my mother being dead, comforting myself with the fact that she had tried to help me from beyond through dreams and hypnosis. But now she was standing before me, alive and well, but the expression on her face was anything but motherly. It was menacing.
“Don’t call me that,” she hissed, her voice cold and scathing. It felt like a lash against my heart. I had wished for my mother to be alive my whole life and now she was, but she was looking at me like she hated me.
“She’s been overtaken,” Ryan said, moving so that he was on the other side of me. Simon kept his grip on my shoulder as if he were afraid I would collapse without his support.
My father raised an eyebrow. “Not entirely correct. Your mother’s soul is in there as well. Sometimes it’s even strong enough to take control for a few moments.” He smiled at Simon mockingly. “You thought my idea to become immortal started when I began working with you. I’ve been experimenting long before you. Her mother was my first experiment sixteen years ago.” My father turned back to me, his smile turning into a sneer. “Your mother’s vardoger failed in overtaking her. Your stupid aunt saw to that by destroying it. I tried to get another vardoger to overtake her body but it didn’t work. But I kept her alive all these years since she was useful for experimenting on. When I found out about palladium, I convinced another vardoger to try to overtake your mother. You can see that it wasn’t entirely successful since her soul is still lodged inside her body but it’s the closest I’ve come to achieving success.”
“You fucking asshole.” Hatred like I had never felt before surged inside of me. In that moment, I could have ripped my father apart with my bare hands. I moved towards him, the urge to attack physically overwhelming me, but I stopped when he grabbed my mother’s arm and shoved her between us.
“Not so fast. I’m the only one who knows how to get rid of the vardoger inside her without killing her as well. With all my experimenting, it seems as though I’ve only been able to figure out how to get rid of the vardoger permanently and not the human soul. It’s quite unfortunate.”
“Do it,” I said in a low voice. “Before I kill you.”
“Let’s barter.” He smiled at me. “You for her.”
“There is no way in hell you’re taking Caitlin,” Simon said in a voice that sent chills down my spine. I had never heard him sound so deadly.
