* * *
"Hey, sleepyhead." Izzy's voice had that almost musical quality to it again—she sounded like herself.
"Hey." I yawned. "Where are we?"
"We're almost out of the mountains."
I glanced toward the blue glow on the center console. According to the GPS, we were headed east on Route 12, not far from Interstate 82. We'd gone south out of Olympia before heading west. The plan was for a more southerly route home—given the time of year—well, to be honest, Mom had insisted.
"You want me to drive some?"
Izzy laughed. "You're such a male. You know I don't get tired."
"How about distracted?" I slid my hand onto her thigh.
"Not so much," she touted.
I moved my hand up to the crease of her hip. "You sure?" I leaned closer, my lips almost touching her ear.
Suddenly, her right hand clenched the back of my neck, she turned and locked her lips against mine.
I'm telling you, I have to be the luckiest guy in the entire universe, because each kiss is better than the last even though at the time that seems totally impossible. There was no resisting the passion, heck, who would want to, no one in his right mind that's for sure—well let's just say I pulled her into me and returned the kiss.
She laughed, my lips against her teeth. "That's not fair."
I'm not exactly sure what happened next. There was a sudden thud against the side of the Jeep that sent us careening down the shoulder on two wheels. If I'd been driving there is no doubt in my mind that we would have flipped, but with Izzy's incredible reflexes, she managed to keep the Jeep on all fours. Even so, I could see the panic in her face.
"What is it?" I yelled.
We slammed into an embankment and since Izzy wasn't wearing a seatbelt, she was thrown from the Jeep. My shoulder belt snapped against my chest with the impact, momentarily knocking the wind out of me. I gasped for air in the sudden, eerie silence as dirt and debris rained down around the Jeep. I winced in pain as an icy, granite hand slammed down against my shoulder and ripped the seatbelt right out of the mounting bracket. In the next instant, I saw Izzy flash across the windshield followed by a sound that could only be described as two boulders crashing into one another—I mean, a thunderstorm, not even close. The door was gone, ripped out along with the seatbelt, so I stumbled out of the Jeep into the roadside ravine.
Everything was happening so fast, it was hard to tell exactly what was going on, but it looked like Izzy was on the shoulders of a man, hands clenched firmly around his neck. To be fighting, he had to be like her. He staggered forward into the swath of light from the headlights. Izzy groaned, and pulled with all her might. The man's gaze, fell on me.
"Stop!" I screamed.
A harsh scraping—no ripping sound silenced the vampire's angry screams. The now headless assailant and Izzy collapsed into the darkness.
By the time I staggered to the front of the Jeep, Izzy had ripped off his arms and legs. "Stop! Stop!" I screamed.
Izzy was instantly by my side. "What's wrong?"
"What have you done?" I cried.
"Jason, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
I fell to my hands and knees and crawled to the fluff of dark brown hair at the edge of the light. I rolled it over and burst into tears.
Izzy sank down next to me. Confusion filled her eyes. "He's one of the others, his red eyes mean he survives on human blood." When I didn't react, she continued. "He's a monster, he wanted you."
I looked up into Izzy's eyes and then back to the crimson eyes of the attacker. There was no mistake. "That's my Dad," I mumbled.
Izzy's eyes flashed at me and then back to the stone head in my hands. "But you said—"
"I know, a Great White."
She took the head from me and lay it on the ground. "This is not your father, not any longer."
"Is he—"
"No."
"Can you fix him? I need to know what happened."
"Physically, but I won't. We were lucky this time, he didn't realize what I was, we won't have that advantage a second time. I'm sorry."
"Can't you teach him to be like you?"
"I wish it were that simple, but he's not who or what you remember."
"But—"
"I'm sorry, Jason. Wait, maybe there is something I can do."
"What?"
"Benjamin taught me how to reach into someone's mind."
"You can read people's minds?"
"The results are unpredictable, but I can try."
"Please."
Izzy knelt down, but hesitated before touching my dad's remains. "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes."
She took my dad's head between her hands and slumped forward. It seemed like an eternity before she gently set it on the ground. She gathered herself and then stood. Her face showed apprehension.
"Well?"
"I'm afraid there isn't much of your father left. I could sense how much he loved you and your mother and how proud he was of you. He cried when I showed him your football game."
"You did that?"
Izzy nodded.
"And the attack?"
"He'd gone to the beach to practice, that's where it happened. He was just a random victim. The transformation was a mistake, but the vampire didn't realize what she had done. A rouge vampire picked him up and showed him the ropes until they recently separated."
"That's it?"
"There's one more thing. He's been praying someone would end his hell. And Jason, he did recognize you tonight—"
"You have to—"
"What he has become would kill you."
"You're just saying that."
"You know I wouldn't do that. I wish—"
"Don't." I turned away, not wanting to face the inevitable. "Do what you have to."
By the time I got back to the Jeep, an eerie, purple glow and sickening, sweet aroma filled the heavy, night air.