The Rogue Pureblood Vampire | 18+✔

Book 4⌇12. One Year

Chapter 12 ∣  One Year

-Maverick

I never did get to visit Rook during the summer, as Orion was hell-bent on making sure I was in control by the time the year was up. At this moment in time, I don't think I'm ready to face my family, the fear from some while the hate from others have mixed emotions swirling through my head.

Cristela made a nice cake for my eighth birthday, but I still missed Rook, Tamsin, and even Lucette. Considering even before I was sent away, I didn't spend much time with Arlynn, so to be honest, it was hard to miss her. The only connection is how we are all bound together by being part of the same coven.

My anger is still an issue, but the good news...I can control my blood magic almost flawlessly. Orion still urges me to cool it when I let my emotions get the best of me and that I might regret hurting someone if I'm not in control. It is hard, but I continue to try.

What does everyone expect from a young vampire?

Perfection?

"Maverick?" Orion calls from the living room, my eyes lifting from the bag I'm packing, my heart suddenly skipping a beat.

I'm going to see my family.

Zipping up the bag, I hear Orion's footsteps stop in the open doorway before asking, "Are you ready to see everyone?"

"Are they ready to see me?" I reply sarcastically, standing to my feet and grabbing the bag, my eyes meeting his. It is a valid question, I'm half expecting my father to want me to stay longer, one more year so he doesn't have to deal with me.

Orion narrows his eyes chuckles, "You're so much like your mother."

"What?" I ask, tilting my head to the side.

"You've got a smart mouth on you," he moves out of the doorway, motioning me to follow him down the hallway and out into the living room, "it's not a bad thing, just be careful because not everyone understands sarcasm."

Cristela is nowhere to be found.

"Orion?"

"Mmhmm?" He replies, searching the top shelf near the door, the bowl that holds the keys to the car hidden among other objects.

"Where's Cristela?" I ask, holding the bag handle tighter, wondering if I will get to say goodbye to her.

He quickly reassures me, "She's actually outside, speaking with two hunters."

"Oh?" I curiously ask but don't want to seem that interested.

Taking the keys from the bowl, he grasps the door handle, opening it inward and gazing out into the darkness, the night has come upon us much sooner than I had expected. Walking out behind him, I see Cristela speaking to the same two teenage hunters that Isabella had been engaging with. They stand a few feet away from the car, each has a bag resting in front of their feet.

What is she doing with them?

Orion makes his way down the pathway to the car, flipping the keys around his finger, his eyes gazing up at the moon, the stars shining back. The natural light is nice, this small town offering so much more than what the city does. It is secluded, and I've come to enjoy and welcome it.

The girl is kicking at the dirt with her boot, her long black falls over her shoulders, topaz highlights weaved through the strands. The boy has the same black hair, cut short and gelled, his white irises flickering past Orion and settling on me while Cristela continues to speak to them.

Apparently, hunters go through a rite of passage when they turn sixteen. They are led by a ranger of their family, tracking five to six vampires and they will have to kill them in order to prove they can handle fighting on their own. They will be branded with a cross behind their right ear. Rangers are born skilled with any weapon, taking more after their vampire side with their enhanced reflexes and fighting, their senses much keener than the normal hunter.