Page 52 of Bound By Blood
The sorrow in hervoice drew Saber’s attention. He hated the way her shouldersslumped, and a second later, he scented tears. Before he coulddecide what to do, she hastily wiped them away, and her shouldersrose a little, but she couldn’t hide her exhaustion.
“He was a goodfriend too,” Saber said.
“He was an amazingdad.”
Beautiful redmaple trees lined the driveway; their leaves were already startingto change to the most fascinating and striking colors. Caro focusedon the trees as dirt and stones crunched beneath her feet.
If she didn’tstudy the multitude of reds, oranges, and yellows in those leaves,she would sit down and cry… or pass out. She’d spent too much timesitting on her ass and weeping these past two weeks and, aftereverything that happened today, she wasn’t ready for any kind ofdirt nap.
They turned acorner, but the house still didn’t come into view. Her father builtit exactly in the center of the property. If someone breached thewall, their distance from it would give them plenty of time to getinto the bunker he’d installed under the house while it was beingbuilt.
Anyone who didn’tknow the bunker existed would never find it, and if by some miraclethey did, they’d never get in. It was stocked with at least ayear’s supply of blood.
It was probablytoo much blood, and her father didn’t think anyone would stayaround waiting for them to emerge for a whole year, but he’d chosenthe better-safe-than-sorry route. And now that it was only her, thebunker housed a three-year blood supply.
That realizationdidn’t make the lump in Caro’s throat any smaller.
When they turnedanother corner, the house finally came into view. Built to looklike an old colonial, it looked far older than its twenty years.Black shutters lined the windows of the cranberry-coloredhouse.
Three storiestall, its two chimneys rose high into the air, but they couldn’t beseen from the road. The gate and walls couldn’t be seen from theroad either.
Anyone lookingdown the drive would see an old dirt road, but most never saw thatas they were focused on the road when driving past. Since livinghere, few had ever traversed the road to explore further.
This place hadbeen her home for most of her life; it held most of her memories.Her old swing set, tree house, and tire swing still decorated thebackyard. She’d broken her arm when she fell out of the old hickoryin the back.
She’d dreamed ofpixies and evil queens who hunted her while running through thewoods. Her pony had resided in the beautiful, cranberry-coloredbarn she now lived above.
Her palomino,Sandy, lived in the barn until last year, when her father put himdown after he couldn’t get up one day. He was thirty-two, and itwas time to say goodbye, but it broke her heart, and she stillmissed her old friend.
So much loss, soclose together. She wasn’t sure how to keep going without all thelove that once filled this place. But it didn’t matter. Once thisthing with Saber was over, she’d leave here and never return.
She’d losteverything, it was all gone, and she had no idea what to do withher life.
But that wasn’tentirely true. She had a mission now. She had a sword to forge andsomething to focus on. Being at her forge was familiar andcomforting, and she desperately needed both.
CHAPTER 39
“I’d like to seeall the security measures here,” Saber said.
Caro rubbed at hereyes as her vision blurred. She almost started arguing with him,but it would only waste more time. “Okay.”
Caro spent half anhour showing him all her father’s security precautions. She didn’tshow him the bunker; there were some secrets she would keep forherself.
By the time theyfinished, she’d given him a tour of the property and the large,concrete building housing multiple forges. She’d spent countlesshours inside the building, sweating, laboring, and working with herdad. They were some of her best memories.
Caro led Saberinto the house through the back door, which opened into thekitchen. They entered the dining room and moved on to the hall.
As they walked,they passed the family photos of her with her parents, morepictures with Sandy, and some of her dog, Henry, from when she wasa kid. She led him up the stairs positioned directly across fromthe front door and toward the second floor.
The hushencompassing the house was different from the noise and laughterthat used to fill it all the time. She kept expecting to see hermom or dad appear at the top of the stairs and come rushing down togreet her. Only darkness loomed above, and her heart grew heavierwith every step she took.
Music alwaysfilled the house as her mom played it while cleaning, reading, ordancing from one room to another. She loved to crochet beautifulblankets or sew quilts; her colorful patterns decorated all thebeds and couches in the house.
She’d spent hourstending her perennial garden, which had spread over the years toencompass over an acre. Some of those flowers were still in bloom,and as she led Saber into the guest room with its sleigh bed, smallbathroom, and single chest of drawers, she spotted the colorfulflowers of the black-eyed Susans and asters.
Her mother alwaysloved the cheerful blooms of the Susans. This time of year, theywould fill the house. Caro hadn’t bothered to cut any new flowers;the wilted ones her mom snipped before her death remained in thevases she’d set out on the tables throughout the home.
She stopped tostare out the window as Saber walked in behind her. Unaware of herview, he stepped in front of her to check outside.
