Van

As always, Gabriella's face scrunched in distaste at the sound of her nickname. She smoothed her features and offered a smile. Van shivered. Her stepmother undoubtedly meant to come across as comforting, but the forced pull of her lips was more predatory than soothing.

"What are you doing here?" Van demanded. Bane bounded in front of her, dropping his haunches on her feet to stop her from entering the house anymore.

Gabriella wasn't a Slayer, and while she demonstrated awareness of her husband's work, that appeared to be the extent of her involvement. She was a monster of a different sort. Vain. Self absorbed. Apathetic.

So, Van had believed, but seeing the woman lounging casually in the middle of Hector's living room, she remembered a very important fact about her time with her father. Everything had been a lie.

Gabriella stood and smoothed imaginary wrinkles from her tight black leather pants. Green eyes pinned on Bane, she answered, "I stopped by to chat with an old friend."

"You're friends with a vampire?" Van asked, skipping the part where they played pretend. Wooden boards creaked behind her. Hailey and Livy stood next to her, one girl on each side, both settling easily into defensive stances.

"You're friends with two shifters and a Slayer. How very progressive of you. What would your father think?"

Van tapped her forefinger on her lower lip, leaned forward, and dramatically swept her eyes around the room. They stalled on a red puddle spreading behind the couch, but they could handle that in a minute. After the mystery that was her evil stepmother was sorted.

"I don't know. Have you seen him lately? You could ask him then, though I'm sure he'll be quite... mad."

"Where's Hector?" Hailey demanded.

"Aren't you Nancy's little girl?" Gabriella deflected. She shook out her dark curls and took two steps toward Hailey. A hungry glint brightened her smile.

Livy and Bane snarled in synchrony. Hailey rolled her eyes. "I'm not interested in whatever you're selling, Gabriella."

"Can we just cut the crap?" Livy jumped in. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Like a villain in a budget horror film, Gabriella threw her head back and laughed. Hands splayed over her flat stomach, she continued for several long seconds. When she stopped, she wiped her cheeks clean and flicked the tip of her tongue over a long, rapidly extending canine. A matching tooth descended from the other side, and there was nothing budget or fake about them.

"Should this surprise me?" Van mock whispered to her friends, who, according to their shocked expressions, were very surprised. But really, though, it made sense.

Hailey pulled a stake from inside her jacket. "You're a vampire."

Gabriella stomped her foot on the ground. The heel of her boot splinted the hardwood floor. "Do not call me that. I have not yet earned the right to be called a vampire. I'm a Blood Daughter. An abomination. For now."

"That, for now, part sounds like it might be a key piece of our puzzle," Livy said. Different colored fur rippled across her arms.

"Why did you come to see Hector?"

With a petulant huff, Gabriella marched over to the couch, bent to curl her fingers underneath it, and flipped it across the room. It hit the wall with a thud, which was immediately followed by the tinkling of shattering glass as photos and nicknacks toppled off shelves and hooks.

Hector was sprawled across the floor. Half his face was gone and most of the back of his head. But here and there tufts of blond hair clung to a few spots of remaining tissue. The simple white and blue striped housecoat he'd been wearing when Gabriella killed him was shredded and blood drenched it. The belt was the only piece that had made it out unscathed, and that was because it had been used to bind his ankles together.

"I made him an offer. He refused. I got angry. It's unfortunate that it happened that way."

The longer Van stared, the stronger the urge became to vomit, but she couldn't tear her eyes from the sight. She had never met the man, but she'd seen his house and home and heard how Hailey spoke about him. It wasn't much, but it was enough to know this was someone who was doing their best to be better. He didn't deserve this.

"Now," Gabriella said, nudging the corpse with her toe, "I really do need to get going."

Bane growled and stood. His tail swished against Van's legs, and he crouched low enough that his belly brushed the floor. She heard the sound of ripping cloth just before Livy joined him. This time she'd chosen to shift in her black panther form, and it was easy to spy the difference in the girl. She might have the ability to become whatever creature she wished, but the panther was a part of her.

Gabriella flinched. It was a slight movement. Almost unnoticeable. But it was enough to tell Van the shifters frightened her.

"I think you should stay and chat," Van said, walking over to the armchair her stepmother had occupied earlier and swiveled it so the seat faced where she stood next to Hector. "Take a seat."

"I think this fight is a little unfair, don't you?"

"Who said anything about fighting?"

"Oh, Van. We both know where this is going, and to be honest, I'm not quite ready for you yet. Luca, please come out here."

Van and the others froze, barely breathing as footsteps echoed down the hallway. Her brain warned her the boy she was about to see would be changed, but her heart could only recall the love she had for him and how he'd been at her side–not just in the three weeks that she slept but since the moment he met her. She would do the same for him now.

He appeared in the doorway, and she devoured every inch of him as he approached. Same tall, muscular frame. Dark hair. Golden skin. Powerful jaw that was now clean shaven. He wore black head to toe—from his boots, to his pants, to his tight t-shirt. Van had seen him dressed like this before. It was the outfit of a fighter who needed to blend in with the darkness. She might have convinced herself nothing was amiss if not for the leather collar snapped around his neck or the chill in his hazel eyes as he raked them over her.

Gabriella wound her arms around his neck, and keeping her eyes on Van, kissed him deeply. A kiss which Luca returned with equal passion. Van gripped the chair to remain upright.

Breaking the kiss, Gabriella ran her thumb over his bottom lip. The finger came around red and she popped it into her mouth, making a show of cleaning the blood off with her tongue. Then she patted his cheek and walked toward the door.

"Kill all of them, but Van. She's free to go."