Dust: Before and After Read online

  “Daciana. I like that,” she finally murmured, staring back at him. “You know that this is just the beginning, Dust. We will meet again,” she stated more than asked.

  “Yes, I know,” Dust said, taking a step back.

  “The female, she will not accept what you have become,” Daciana sneered.

  Dust hid his feelings of unease. He knew that Sammy might not accept him now. But, they were both still young. He would worry about her accepting him when they were older. Right now, they were still just learning how to survive.

  “I won’t let you kill other survivors,” Dust warned. “I’ll hunt you down if you do. I mean it.”

  Daciana flashed her teeth at him and stepped back. She rolled her shoulders before she glanced up at the strange, swirling clouds. Time would tell who would evolve to be the most powerful of the two new species – the Lycan or the….

  “Until we meet again, Dust,” Daciana chuckled. “It will be interesting to see how long you can resist killing your own kind.”

  Dust didn’t say anything. He watched as Daciana shifted again. Her dark brown and black fur appeared to glow against the dying fire. Dust’s gaze followed her as she took off at a run, disappearing into the growing darkness.

  He stood there for a long, long time before he turned back in the direction of the gym. For a moment, he thought about what Daciana said. She was right. He wasn’t sure how long it would be before his hunger made it impossible for him to resist turning on those that he cared about. Bowing his head, he breathed deeply as an agonizing pain washed through him. He couldn't go back. He would never risk endangering Sammy, Todd, or the others.

  Looking up at the sky, he released a cry that shook the surrounding area. Already he could feel the need to hunt burning inside him. The hunger gnawing at his gut. Taking off at a run, he focused. Long wings formed behind him. This time, they were not made of sand, but from his very thoughts. He swept up into the sky, heading away from the old gym and the only family he had.

  Chapter 27

  Hope:

  Dust slowly withdrew his teeth from the small rabbit he held. He stroked the trembling creature and murmured a few soft, reassuring words before he lowered it to the ground. With a thought, he released it from his hold. Almost immediately, it took off.

  He watched it disappear back down the hole that he had coaxed it and three others out of. He made sure to take just enough to keep his hunger at bay. It was a constant search, but over the last few weeks, he had learned how to control his hunger. With a sigh, he turned back toward the highway. He would need to find a place to rest before long.

  In the distance, he could hear the familiar sound of a diesel engine approaching. His head tilted and he listened. One of the cylinders had a slight miss in it. Hope filled him and his lips curled upward when he heard Randolph and Josie’s familiar voices above the roar of it.

  *.*.*

  “There!” Randolph said, pointing. “I told you I could find him!

  “I admit I had my doubts,” Josie retorted, drawing laughter from the small group riding in the short, faded yellow bus.

  Josie winced when the brakes squealed loudly as they pulled alongside the solitary figure walking along the highway. She pulled the door open and glanced down through the opening. A crooked, somewhat sarcastic grin curved her lips.

  “We have room for one more if you need a lift,” she called down.

  “I’m good,” Dust replied.

  “Yeah, well, I’m sure the hell not,” Josie retorted. “Do you have any idea how many back roads and potholes I’ve driven over the last three weeks? I’m surprised this thing is still running. Besides, we could always use a good mechanic on board. Raymond and Randolph don’t know shit about working on engines.”

  “Ha-ha, Josie,” Randolph replied from behind her. “I don’t see you fighting us to get under the hood.”

  Dust stopped in his tracks and released a deep sigh when the bus rolled to a stop beside him and Josie shut off the engine. He still didn’t look at her, or any of the others. He could feel their eyes on him as they hung out of the windows. One pair in particular pulled at him to turn around and look.

  Instead, he forced himself to stare straight ahead down the road. Deep down, he was afraid – almost terrified – that this wasn’t real. What if some bizarre part of his imagination had created an illusion of them being there?

  “Dust,” Sammy’s soft voice called.

  He slowly turned when he heard Sammy’s husky voice. A soft groan escaped him when he saw her staring back at him from the steps of the bus. He stumbled backwards when she jumped down onto the road just a few feet from him.

  Drawing in a deep breath, he started to lower his head when his gaze locked on the small box in her hands. It was wrapped in the comic strips from an old newspaper. A bow made of string hung limply from the top of it.

  “What’s that?” He asked in a husky voice.

  “It’s your birthday present,” Sammy whispered, holding it out. “You weren’t there, so we had to come find you.”

  Dust swallowed and reached for the box. His fingers trembled when they brushed against her knuckles. He gripped the package and pulled it close to him, blinking back the tears burning his eyes.

  “What is it?” He asked, shaking it gently.

  “Open it,” Sammy said with a nervous giggle. “We all kind of worked together to make it. It isn’t much.”

  Dust glanced up. His gaze ran along the line of faces staring back at him. He could feel his cheeks flush at their encouraging smiles. Looking back down at the package, he carefully pulled the paper back. He glanced back up at Sammy. She bit her bottom lip and stared back at him with a quiet intensity that made him nervous.

  He pulled the lid off. Inside was a colorful necklace. It looked like glass, but it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Each tiny section was a different color, but they were all fused together. A dark piece of string made up the chain.

  “The green one is mine,” Todd called out from the front window. “I found it.”

  “I like the brown one. It reminded me of your eyes,” Sammy added in a soft voice. “Josie melted them all together. Denise did the design.”

  “Raymond and I found the silver. We figured you could use it if you ever meet the She Devil again,” Randolph said.

  Dust’s gaze flashed to Josie. She was leaning against the steering wheel grinning down at him. He saw her give a small shrug.

  “We missed you,” Sammy said.

  Dust jumped when he felt her warm hand against his chilled skin. He looked back at her in confusion, unsure of what to say. His gaze ran over all the faces again before it returned to Sammy.

  “Sammy, I don’t think,” he started to say.

  He swallowed when she lifted her hand and gently placed her fingers against his lips to silence him. She had that fierce, determined expression on her face again. The one he had come to love.

  “Then, don’t,” she said. “You are a part of this family. We love you.”

  “There’s something you should know,” Dust muttered against her fingers.

  “Josie already told us. She sort of guessed when your teeth did the, you know….” She wiggled her fingers in a downward movement. “We’ll figure it out in time,” Sammy promised with a small smile.

  “Okay,” Dust replied.

  He released the breath he was holding when Sammy suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. He could feel her hot breath and warm tears against his neck. Her body trembled. His arms moved instinctively around her waist and he pulled her close.

  “Happy birthday, Dust,” she sniffed. “I really missed you.”

  “Thanks, Sammy,” Dust replied. “Thanks for finding me.”

  “Always,” she whispered, leaning back and pressing a kiss against his lips.

  “Aw, man, they’re kissing again,” Todd said in disgust, sitting back in his seat. “I thought vampires just drank people’s blood.”

&nb
sp; Josie’s laughter drown out the muttered hushing the others were trying to do. “Come on, you two. This circus has a long way to go if we are going to try to find your relatives, Dust. We’re running short on gas, short on food, and I think we might just get some snow tonight.”

  “That’s okay,” Dust retorted as he climbed up the steps into the bus. “I know someone who loves to play with fire.”

  Dust sent a crooked grin to everyone as he made his way to the back of the bus with Sammy. He didn’t have much choice considering she still had a death grip on his hand. He slid into the seat next to her, grinning when Todd quickly changed to the seat in front of them and turned to stare at him with wide eyes filled with awe.

  “So, can you do any really cool stuff as a vampire?” Todd asked, resting his chin on the seat as Josie pulled away.

  “Yeah, I can do some really cool things now,” Dust replied with a smile, holding onto Sammy’s hand.

  He listened as the others talked back and forth to each other. For a moment, his gaze shifted back to the darkness outside. He’d had a lot of time to think over the last three weeks. This world was a lot different than it had been two years before. He was a lot different. Every day was a new one and you never knew how it might end. The only thing you could do was make the best of it, try to make the world a better place, and hope that you got a chance to try again tomorrow.

  “Happy birthday, Dust,” he murmured.

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  Additional Books by S.E. Smith

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  If you would like to read more S. E. Smith stories, she recommends Abducting Abby, the first in her Dragon Lords of Valdier Series. Or if you prefer a Paranormal or Time Travel with a twist, you can check out Lily’s Cowboys or Indiana Wild…

  About S. E. Smith

  S.E. Smith is a New York Times, USA TODAY, International, and Award-Winning Bestselling author of science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary works for adults, young adults, and children. She enjoys writing a wide variety of genres that pull her readers into worlds that take them away.