Tegan's Return (The Ultimate Power Series #2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

life. He's not the kind of person to just leave town at the spur of the moment, not unless something very bad was happening. This is the house I grew up in, he's lived in it for more than twenty years. There's not a chance he would ever want to leave, he's very much a creature of habit. This is all my fault.
     “It was the vampires, wasn't it,” I whisper. Finn puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me close.
     “She said he sold the house and left town, perhaps he got away before they could catch up with him.” He tells me, and a sliver of hope runs through me. Please, please let Finn be right.
     “How could I have left him here so vulnerable? I'm such a selfish bitch,” I say, as another tear falls down my face. Finn wipes it away with his thumb.
     “Hey now, you can't think that way. You're one girl and you were scared. No one would blame you for running away.”
     I try to pull myself together and shift away from Finn. I'm already getting far too close to him and it's barely been two days. “I'll call his work in the morning and see if they know anything, and my friend Nicky, maybe she knows where he went.”
     Finn nods. “It might not even be anything bad Tegan. Maybe he just wanted to get away from it all, sell the house and use the money to retire somewhere hot and sunny.”
     “Maybe,” I agree, but I scarcely believe it.
     Finn starts up the engine and pulls away from the house. I glance up at the window of my old bedroom. I wish I could just go in and sit there for a while. Obviously the new owners might find that a little weird though.
     “Do you want to go get something to eat? We've got a long drive ahead of us back to the city.” Finn asks, interrupting my thoughts.
     I look to him. “There's a fast food drive-through on the outskirts of town, we can go there, that way we'll lose less time.”
     “Good idea,” says Finn.
     We get burgers and cokes and sit in the car to eat them. All the while I can barely even think of what the food tastes like, I just keep imagining all the horrific things that might have happened to my dad. All because of me.
     “Are you sure you can handle the drive back to Tribane?” I ask Finn. “You've barely slept a wink since we left Manchester.”
     “I'm used to it. Training to become a vampire slayer with the DOH taught me how to go without much sleep for long periods. A lot of night time stake outs are involved.” He smiles wryly.
     “I can imagine.”
     I sense Finn watching me out of the corner of his eye. I finish my food and take the rubbish outside, dumping it in the bin.
     When I get back in the car he asks, “So, do you have any idea how you're going to get back in touch with Cristescu?”
     I yawn. “I'll probably just go to Crimson to look for him. I'm sure he'll be around somewhere.”
     “Funny you should say that,” Finn replies after a moment of silence. “They're throwing this big exclusive event for Christmas at the club tomorrow night. All the most powerful vamps in the city are going to be there. It would be the perfect time for you to gather information about Rebecca.”
     “Sounds like a plan,” I smile reluctantly, my stomach has a hundred butterflies flitting around inside of it. Tomorrow night. That's so close. I'm going to see Ethan tomorrow night. The prospect has me both excited and apprehensive.
     We drive back to Tribane, listening to the radio and chatting at intervals. Then I fall asleep and I try not to feel guilty that Finn has to stay awake to drive the car. It's about one o'clock in the morning when we get to Finn's house. I remember the last time I was here and he'd told me about the other slayer who owned the house, Noel. I ask Finn about him as we go inside, but he just shakes his head tells me that Noel died in one of the battles with the vampires. I tell him I'm sorry.
     Finn's dog, Wolf, is barking out in the back garden. Finn lets him in and he comes prowling into the kitchen. I still