*Ch 268: First Kill

Jack swallowed a knife down his throat. He knew many questions would be asked, including this one.

So he shared his heart's deepest secret that Kai never knew from his absence, "The truth is, I loved your mom, but the thing was, she didn't love me."

"She didn't?" Ian questioned, and Jack shook his head no.

"She loved your stepdad," he began to explain. "We were only friends. Your stepdad is a trained sniper for the military. One day, he went on a top-secret mission to assassinate a group of terrorists. The mission didn't go well, and he was thought to be dead. Your mother came to me for solace, and that's how we had you. When I was going to propose, your stepdad was announced alive. So I stepped aside and left. Being such a good man, he took you in as his son. I only backed away, so your mother wouldn't discover she was pregnant with a vampire."

"You backed off to keep them safe from learning the truth?" Ian collected as Jack nodded a yes with his head.

"If your dad hadn't done that, then the Vampire Covenant would've killed them," Glenn added, and Ian understood.

"Do you still love my mom?" Ian wondered out of curiosity.

"As a friend," Jack earnestly answered. "My love for her has long since faded."

After a brief silence, sitting between Glenn and Ace across the table, Rome determined. "Enough of this gooey sentimental stuff. It's time for your first hunting lesson."

"Already?" Ian gulped fairly loudly.

"After losing what you did, you'll need to replenish yourself," Jack enunciated as he squeezed Ian's arm and felt he wasn't fully nourished from that attack.

Kai and the others sat at the picnic table, watching Jack take the lead when he got up with Ian. He pointed to a group of teenage girls hanging out at the park.

"All you have to do is go over and charm one of them to follow you into the woods," Jack instructed. "Then you bite her neck."

"Why so young?" Ian looked over at the girls, chatting by the basketball court.

"Because they're your age," Ace answered, sitting behind them from the picnic table with everyone else. "You've had a few girlfriends, so this should be easy enough."

Before he took one step, "Put your sunglasses on," Glenn reminded him.

Ian swallowed his remorse and apprehension all in one gulped as he put his shades on to hide his red eyes. Staying behind, everyone watched him get right involved with the girls. Right away, he had them laughing and carrying on a normal conversation.

Across the table, Ivan chuckled. "So far, the kid got some moves."

Kai laughed louder once they saw him returning without his meal cluelessly following him to her doom. He came back, looking embarrassed.

"You were saying." Kai teased, and they chuckled at his remark.

"What happened?" Jack shook his head, standing around.

"I failed," Ian admitted, lowering his head with shame.

Rome whimsically asked. "Did you at least get some numbers?"

Everyone laughed harder, which made Ian blush redder. This day couldn't get any more embarrassing for him.

"I did." Ian spared his male-driven ego.

"Well, that's a start," Ace joked, making everyone laugh.

"Aren't you hungry?" Jack questioned him intensely.

"I'm starving," Ian whimpered. He felt weaker, thanks to the vampire in Tyler's clan who had almost drained him.

Jack looked up ahead with a devious grin to spot a pretty jogger with red hair. "Watch and learn," he said when he passed Ian up.

Ian watched his dad flirt a little with this woman, after he purposely ran into her by looking at his phone. The two talked, and she smiled at Jack, wholly interested. He was stunned at his dad's guileful moves as he started walking off with her.

"Go follow," Kai instructed. "He'll feed you."

Ian remained quiet when he does as Kai had told him. Jack merely shifted his nose to make sure Ian was coming. He found a private spot at this pavilion that had no one around. Meanwhile, she was jabbering on about something Jack barely heard.

"Aaah–" he covered her mouth as she faintly shrieked whenever he twisted her back into his torso.

Ian watched as he crushed his fangs into her neck. He drained her flimsy. She couldn't speak or squeal one sound. All she could do was heave between her stilled breath.

"Finish her," Jack instructed as Ian was experiencing some shock.

To help him out, Ivan pushed him forward to the woman's neck. That's when Ian realized Kai, Ace, Rome, and Glenn surrounded them.

"Do I have to kill her?" Ian appealed with clear hesitation. "Can't we heal her, then make her forget this before letting her go?"

"No one here can heal her," Kai replied, teaching him. "Our fangs are fatal, not merciful."

"Take what you want, and I'll end her life," Jack encouraged since he noticed he was stalling.

Ian's fangs sprouted. That potent odor of blood took its leverage. He relinquished control and further tore into her throat. Her blood tasted incredibly sweet on his tongue. The taste got better once it streamed into his throat. Before he could stop, her life faded by his craving. Ian withdrew, more shocked, realizing he took her life.

"It's alright, she's prey," Kai praised as he gave him a pat on the back. "We've all experienced what your feeling from your first kill."

Ian was mute as a guardian took off with the body. Just as he vanished, two beautiful vampiresses appeared. Ian's eyes crossed at the belly of the vampiress with ginger-colored hair. Quite clearly, he heard another heartbeat fluttering lively in her womb. Strangely Ian felt an unexplainable bond for this life growing inside her.

Jack turned, cocking his head. "Sharlene, why are you here?" he questioned. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

Sharlene giggled. "Relax, I'm only pregnant. I was curious to know if you found Ian."

Mia cheerily added. "Everyone is anxious to meet him."

Jack stepped aside, and introduced them. "Ian, this is Sharlene and Mia."

Sharlene smiled at him, yet she noticed he was eyeing her stomach. "You haven't told him?" she glanced at Jack for a second.

"I haven't had a chance." Jack confessed as he realized Ian was figuring it out for himself.

"So, I have another baby brother or sister on the way?" Ian asked to conclude his guess.

"Yes, actually you do," Jack shared the bean, and Ian smiled.

"So you guys are–"

"No!" Sharlene was brisk to answer as her eyes crossed toward Jack before she gave her full engagement to Ian. "Things are complicated."

Ian sorta nodded to catch that certain tone Sharlene had. Though he noticed his dad seemed disappointed at what she said. Whatever was going on between them, he gathered that his dad yearned for something more with Sharlene.