Growing Wildflowers | WLW

Carnation

I'm expecting Leroy to shuffle me into an emergency shelter but instead he stands as still as a statue and stares at the only entrance to the room.

"Shouldn't we hide?" I shout over the still-blaring alarm.

He holds a hand up to quiet me and closes his eyes. He's listening. John makes the same face when he hears voices traveling through the forest toward our cabin.

I would follow suit if I weren't so scared of the possibilities approaching.

"They're not human," Leroy says, still holding his eyes shut. After another moment of silence, he sighs. "I know the sound of those god forsaken redneck boots anywhere." He takes long strides toward the door and rips it open revealing John on the other side, his body ready to barrel through.

"John." Leroy sighs again but John presses his arm against Leroy's throat and slams him back against the wall.

"Tell me why my daught—" He pauses; swallows hard. "Tell me why Gwen is in your torture chamber, and it better be a damn good reason because I've just about had it with you and your partner upstairs."

"Jonathan," Leroy soothes.

John slams Leroy's body back. "Drop the act, Leroy."

"Or what?" he chokes.

John steps back, pulls a handgun from his belt, and aims it at Leroy's forehead. "Or I'll open up a job position for a new elder."

Leroy brushes the wrinkles from his shirt and folds his hands in front of him. "No, you won't."

John clenches his jaw. "Damn if I won't, boy. Don't pretend like you forgot who I used to ride with." After a tense pause, he adds, "Now, tell me why I can feel Gwen's fear from the other side of the state."

I open my mouth to speak, close it again. With all the chaos, I'd forgotten that John has a direct connection to my stronger emotions since we're blood bound. My cheeks go hot. It feels like any ounce of privacy I had is stripped from me.

"That would be because the child nearly drowned herself trying to save the life of the very person we are trying to eliminate!" Leroy shouts. The room is still ringing from the abrupt turn to silence when John lowers the gun and looks at me, an expression on his face I've never seen before.

"Gwen." His voice cracks. "You're not..." His head snaps to Leroy. "You don't think she's..."

Leroy flashes an empathetic smile and shrugs.

I can't speak until I swallow the lump in my throat. "Don't think I'm what?"

John shakes his head, pulls his hand down across his face, like he's trying to rub the stress away. "Why did you protect the girl?" His voice is stronger now, like when he's about to scold Gunner. "Be honest with me, Gwen."

"I thought the elders wanted her alive." My eyes flick to Leroy and back. "I misunderstood their assignment. Why does it matter?"

"Gwendolyn," Leroy sighs. "Only defective blood suckers care for human life. Humans are food. And when you were turned...well, if it was a successful ritual, any empathy for human life should have been depleted from your core."

"And if it wasn't?"

My question makes them go stiff. They look at each other for a moment before Leroy steps forward.

"Vampires who are deemed defective must be executed as soon as the acknowledgment is made. Defectiveness can be determined by any vampire and will be voted on after the case is presented to the court of elders." He recites it like he's memorized the official rule book. "If over fifty percent of the council votes for execution, it will be performed immediately."