Page 11 of Bound By Blood
No matter howoften he showered or how long he was away from it, her fatheralways smelled like his forge, fire, and metal—like strength, or atleast that’s what he made her think of when around him.
While Caro hadspent a lot of time in the store over the past five years, shespent more time at a forge as her father taught his craft. Thoselessons started when she was two and first picked up a hammer.
She didn’t havemany memories from that age, but she remembered that moment,probably because it was life changing. Her father had smiled as helaid a glowing piece of iron across his forge and told her to giveit a whack. And so she did.
And just likethat, she’d known exactly what she would do for the rest of herlife. She’d found her home in metal and fire and giggled while thesound of her hit reverberated through the air, shook her tiny arm,and caused sparks to fly.
Her father laughedwith pride as he encouraged her to hit it again and again. That wasthe beginning of her lessons.
She spent thefollowing twenty-five years learning from her dad and honing theskills he taught her. She’d worked with all kinds of metals andcreated wondrous things; more than a few of them lined the store’sshelves.
Now, she would betaking them all home.
Caro hadnoidea what she would do with everything once she got it there, butshe couldn’t keep running this store. Not only was there a goodchance that whoever killed her parents would come back—they’dobviously wanted something, and she didn’t know if they got it ornot—but there were too many memories here.
Her parents wouldexpect her to be strong and continue her life elsewhere. Theycertainly wouldn’t want her to return to this place after whathappened, but she couldn’t resist.
A major part oftheir lives was wrapped up in this store. They’d put so much workand love into this place; even if it had all gone horribly wrong,she had to say goodbye.
She hoped no onecame by while she was here. Every local and store owner here knewwhat happened. It was the most shocking thing to happen to thistown since the Dairy Queen caught on fire.
Caro had barelycome to town since the murders, yet the looks of pity, the caring,well-meaning words, and gentle touches on her arms were enough tomake her scream. And so many came to see her while she was at thepolice station that she’d wondered if they sent out a bulletinalerting everyone to her presence there.
It was sooverwhelming that she’d remained in hiding afterward, but shecouldn’t keep hiding. She had to tie up loose ends here and moveon.
She had no ideawhere she would go after this or what she would do. She’d lost herparents and this store; she hated to lose her home too, but it wasso lonely without them there.
She’d spent thepast fifteen years of her life in their home; she loved it there.And she loved the store and working so close to the ocean.
If she wasn’t hereor at a forge, she was on the beach, digging her toes into the sandas the wind tugged at her hair. She loved collecting seashells andlistening to the seagulls caw.
Wherever she wentafter this, she would stay near the ocean. She would most likelygive up her home, and she was giving up the store and the friendsshe made here, but she didn’t have to sacrifice everything.
She would staynear the ocean when she traveled as she had no intention ofsettling down anytime soon, if ever. What was the point of movinginto an area and getting to know people when she would have toleave in five or ten years when people started to question why shewasn’t aging?
She’d neverpictured a nomad lifestyle before, she always had her parents toground her, but now she had no one. And no idea what to do withherself, other than wallow in her melancholy.
She missed herparents so much, and the unfairness of it all was a constant daggerin her heart. They were really good, caring vampires whoneverharmed another, and their lives were brutally cutshort by vicious monsters.
And she had noidea why. What could have possessed anyone to do what they did toher parents?
CHAPTER 9
Her miseryvanished as her emotions swung back toward fury. She’d been ridingthe pendulum of emotional chaos since she discovered her parents’bodies. She’d gone to bed before they arrived home, and since shelived over the barn, she didn’t realize they hadn’t returned fromthe store until the next morning.
Her parentssometimes went out for a drink or to hunt after working at thestore and occasionally would rent a room for the night, but theynever did so without telling her. She didn’t have any messages, andwhen she tried calling, neither of them answered.
She checked thevideo cameras but didn’t see anything unusual. Later, she wouldlearn that boxes hid her parents’ bodies and blood.
Unable to reachthem, Caro had grabbed her keys and practically flown down thesteps as she raced for her car. She drove way too fast back to thestore, skidded into a spot outside the door, and ran inside.
Her first hintsomething was wrong was when she discovered the door unlocked andthe alarm off. Her second was the scent of blood permeating theair. With her heart in her throat, she tore through the store,following the coppery tang until she stood over their bodies in thebackroom.
She didn’t realizeshe was screaming until Clarice found her. By then, her friend hadalready called the cops, and everything soon spiraled out of Caro’scontrol.
It took her toolong to realize this was something the human world shouldn’t see orknow about, but by then, the store was already teeming with toomany, and she was too distraught to change their memories andstraighten everything out. That came later.
Feeling helplessand irate, she kicked the totes. They skidded across the concretefloor before clattering against a shelf filled with some of thethings she and her father had created. Those creations weresupposed to go out front one day, but they’d never see thestoreroom floor.
