Vampire's Shade Discounted Box Set

Chapter 16

Chapter 16The day of the attack came back to me.I’d gone to the store for my mom to buy milk. We’d been arguingabout it – I’d wanted to bake sugar cookies. She said it wasn’tnecessary, that there were store-bought cookies in the tin and it wasgetting dark, too late to run out to the store for asixteen-year-old. Aspen, who was fourteen, was stretching out one legon the counter and balancing on the other. She wanted to be a dancer.It was never too late to get fit and flexible, she used to say. I wasjealous that she was taller than I was. After that night, she’dnever be taller than I was again.

I fought with Mom about my age, tellingher that I was practically a grownup. But, cocooned in a shell ofinnocence, I actually knew nothing.

The last words I spoke to my motherwere that I wanted her to leave me to make my own mistakes, that Ididn’t need her to baby me for the rest of my life.

I’d give anything to take those wordsback now, to tell her just one more time that I love her, that shemade me everything I am.

Well, no. Everything I used to be.

The line at the store was too long.Instead of heading back home, I went to the next one, a bit fartheraway. I’d gotten my milk, but by the time I finally stepped ontothe front porch, it was dark. There was no moon that night, and theworld was drenched in the inky black of night. Even the stars lookedlike they were dimmer.

I climbed the porch steps, noticingthat the outside light was off. Mom usually switched it on, and I wasirritated that she hadn’t left it on for me. She knew I’d goneout.

If I’d taken that as a sign ofdanger, maybe things would have been different. But then again, maybethey wouldn’t have.

When I pushed against the front doorand it swung open into more darkness, the smell in the air caught myattention. Something sour or bitter. Something that didn’t feelright.

I called out into the house, but no oneanswered. I walked through the living room and into the dining room.

The table had been overturned. Chairslay scattered across the floor, some of them splintered. The vasethat had been in the center of the table was shattered and lay inshards on the floor. The water had made a wet patch around theshattered glass and the ruined flowers.

I reached for the light switchautomatically, even though a voice in my head kept screaming that Ishould turn and run. But I reached out and flipped the switch. Thewhite light was blinding at first. And then it showed me the uglytruth.

There was blood on the carpet. Themetallic smell of it pinched my nose and I gagged, covering my noseand mouth with my hand. The milk I’d been carrying fell to thefloor, the container split open and the milk spread across thecarpet.

I followed the trail of the blood, andunder the table, I found a body. My mother’s body. Her short blondehair was fanned out around her head like a halo. Her arm was bent atan impossible angle, and when I took two steps closer I saw what I’dalready known. Her face was covered in blood, and her soft hazel eyeswere staring vacantly at the chaos around her. Her throat had beenripped open on one side, and was bloody and… chewed.

I covered my mouth and screamed into myhands. My whole body had started shaking, and I felt like the lifewas draining out of me.

A crash in the next room pulled me outof my state of shock, and I whirled around. Aspen and my dad… ifwhoever had done this was still here, I had to stop them before Ilost more people I loved.

I ran to Aspen’s bedroom, where thecrash had come from. I kicked the door open and it bounced back,nearly hitting me in the face, but I shoved it open again.

Aspen was sprawled on the floor, herbody twisted and bent just above the hips in a way that wasn’tnatural. Her eyes were closed and for a very long time I feared theworst, but then she whimpered, the tiniest sign of life.

“Where are they?” I whispered,hoping she’d respond, but she only whimpered again, her headlolling to the side. Her light skin was ash-grey, and there was bloodon her clothes. I ripped the fabric aside and saw that the bloodwasn’t hers.

A sound behind me made me spin around.My dad was standing there. He was… showing his fangs. There wasblood smeared across his face and chest, and he hissed at me.

“Dad?” I asked in a small voice,and then I noticed the fireplace poker he was holding. It had bloodon it, the tip dripping red. The image of my mom’s body flashedthrough my mind, and I lost it.

I was only half-vampire, but in a caseof life and death, the animal in me came out just like it would inany purebred vamp. I hissed back at my dad even though I had no fangsto show him. He swung the poker at me and struck me in the neck. Itburned, and I could feel blood pouring out of the gash, oozing downmy neck and staining my shirt.

I didn’t waste any time. I jumped onhim, ducking underneath the poker he’d lifted to swing again, andtackled him through the open door to the opposite wall of thehallway. The impact winded us both, but I was beyond the point of noreturn. In my rage I’d seen a white light: my dead mother, and mybroken sister. And in front of me was the man who was responsible.

Anger makes anyone stronger. I was atestimony to that. The police finally pulled me off my dad, whoseface had been purple with flowering bruises and bloody where I’dhit him way past unconsciousness with my bare hands.

My mother was pronounced dead on thescene. My sister was taken to a hospital. I was booked into therapy.

Years of therapy did nothing. All thetherapist ever did was remind me of that awful night, over and overagain. And I hated every minute of it, until I turned eighteen andwas old enough to tell my foster parents I wasn’t going to therapyanymore. Aspen was in a wheelchair after having been hospitalized fora month, and no amount of therapy would have been able to erase whathad happened to her.

After the night my mother died, Istayed out of the way of vampires. I avoided the dark, slept with anightlight like a child, and made sure to be in before sunset everyevening. One night it rained so hard, I was stranded at the gym on mycollege campus. Howling winds were ripping through the trees, and noone dared go out. By the time the storm subsided, it had gotten darkand I was terrified.

I walked the quiet streets home,keeping my ears open, doing my best to suppress the fear of the darkthat I’d been kindling for over two years.

A vampire appeared next to me, a manwho had a nasty cut across his face, which reminded me too much ofthe scar that had formed on my neck. He grinned at me, and his fangs,although they were yellow, brought back a flash of my bloodstainedfather attacking me.

I attacked the vampire before he wasable to think twice, and I killed him. As I stood there with blood onmy hands and my heart pounding in my throat, a voice rang out to me.

“You have skills,” it said.

I swung around and backed away, afraidhe’d call the police.

It was a man, not a vamp. Muscles ontop of muscles. “You hate vampires,” he said – a statement, nota question. “I know someone I’d like you to meet.” Then hepulled out a card with Ruben’s firm name and number on it.

“This is an accounting firm,” Isaid, confused.

“Just call him. Tell him Carl sentyou. He’ll know.”

He turned and sauntered down the streetas if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Why?” I called after him.

“You have rage, kid. In this life, wecan use that kind of thing.”

After that, he disappeared.

Going to work for Ruben was quick andpainless. I spent one night out with Carl, and for a week I hadnightmares after I’d seen him work. I went back after that and toldRuben I wanted to do it permanently. He told me everything I alreadyknew, that I’d need to train, that it wasn’t going to be easy,that it would border on illegal activities. But I agreed, because itmeant I could kill vampires.

I hadn’t been able to kill my dad.Maybe if the police hadn’t come in time to save him, I would have.But there were a lot of other vampires around, since the law let themroam free, and it wasn’t long before Carl started avoiding mebecause I was better, because the rookie was outshining him andjealousy didn’t look good on a man with his physique.

I’d taken the job because somehow itfelt like every vampire I killed was one less in the world that couldget to Aspen. In a wheelchair she was vulnerable, and I couldn’trun the risk of another monster suddenly going rogue.

The fact that there never really was achance of that anymore was something I ignored.

And after all that, after training foryears and killing vampires every night the way other people went into the office, I’d managed to fail her again.

I sat on my bike after I’d parked infront of my apartment building and took a deep breath. I closed myeyes and focused on the blood surging through my veins. I could stillfeel her, a faint pulse next to my own. She was still alive.

Every time I checked in to find out, Iheld my breath – hoping for the best but preparing myself for theworst. And every time I found that she was still alive, I felt reliefso strong I felt like I might crumble.

But I still couldn’t pinpoint alocation. It was like someone knew that I had my own tracker on her,and they were stopping me from finding her. It was like a metal wallbetween us, and try as I might, I couldn’t get through it.

I pushed the bike into my crummy garageand rolled the door shut with a terrible noise. I clicked the lockshut, then made my way into the building.

Everything in my apartment was as I’dleft it before, and I felt safe enough to take my guns off and putthem away. I still had my Glock under my pillow, and I kept the knifeon me in the thigh sheath just in case.

I sat down at the booth in the kitchenand stared at the empty seat opposite me. How long had it been – aweek? – since Jennifer had sat across from me? It had seemed likesuch an innocent job then. Distasteful, but innocent. It wasdifficult to accept that things had gotten so bent out of shape insuch a short time.

I’d lost Joel, the only friend I’dever had – and I knew it was my fault. They’d taken him either asa warning, or as bait. They might have killed him. I had no way ofknowing whether he was still alive the way I could trace signs oflife from Aspen.

Ruben was definitely dead. That was myfault too, because I hadn’t done my job. If only I’d understoodhow serious the situation was; if only I’d taken him more seriouslyand done what he’d asked. But his cocky attitude and the arrogancewith which he talked about the night world when he knew nothing aboutit annoyed me, and I had shown that to him through lack of respect.

Now he was dead, and there was nothingI could do about it.

And Sonya? It was just dumb luck thatshe was still alive, and no one knew what would happen to her now.Maybe the vamps would come after her too, in case she knew something.That would be another black mark on my name. Another death to feelguilty about.

I sighed. I had to figure out how themaster vampires operated. Once I knew what they did, what skills theypossessed and how they did their business, maybe I could find a crackin their wall – and find Aspen.

The only person who knew anything aboutthe masters was Connor. I was damn glad I’d missed when I’d shothim. I needed him alive now, to tell me what he knew.

At the same time I knew that it wasridiculous to even try to go to him. He would never help me. Whywould he? After what had happened between us, after the night we’dspent together…

But I had to find him if I wanted tofind Aspen, no matter how horrible it was going to be. And the onlyperson I could rely on for help right now was Jennifer.

The phone rang seven times. One moretime and it would roll over to voice mail. But it didn’t. Sheanswered.

“I need to see you,” I said intothe phone.

She hesitated for a moment. “I don’tknow if that’s a good idea.”

“Why not? Don’t you think you oweme, at least?” I knew that wasn’t the best card to play, but Iwas running out of options.

“Look, you’re not the kind ofperson I should be having contact with right now. If they hear thatI’ve spoken to you, after everything…”

“The master vampires? Have theycontacted you?”

If they’d threatened Jennifer but shewas still alive, she had something on them. Maybe it was something Icould use.

“I just need to find—”

Jennifer cut me off. “Don’t say it.Don’t. I can’t do this.”

She hung up on me. The line beeped inmy ear and I swore, throwing my phone onto the bed. Dammit.

Two seconds later the phone beepedagain. There was a message from Jennifer.

They’re watching me. I didn’t wantto talk on the phone. Meet me at Fiasco at nine.

It was still a while before dark, butat least now I had something to do once the sun had gone down.Without a job I felt untethered, and I didn’t want to think whatsitting at home twiddling my thumbs would be like.

I showered and got dressed, putting onmy leathers again. I wasn’t going out for kills just yet, but Ididn’t know what information Jennifer would be able to give me, andif I was going to get Aspen out of wherever she was, I wanted to beready.

I loaded my guns. Silver bullets ineach of them. I had my Smith & Wesson on me, my SIG at my backand my knife on my thigh. I had an ankle holster where I secured myGlock, and I put the carbine in my bike’s compartment. I didn’twant to be caught off guard, and if I wanted to get Aspen out ofthere alive – myself, too, for that matter – I had to go in thereguns blazing.

My phone rang.

“What is it?” I asked. I was in afoul mood, pumped full of adrenaline in anticipation of a hecticnight and because I had to wait.

“Don’t sound so happy to hear fromme,” Carl said in his usual sarcastic tone.

“What do you want, Carl?”

“I told you, I want in. I want toknow where you’re headed later. You can use some backup once in awhile.”

I shook my head, even though Carlcouldn’t see it. “I’m not going out to kill. I need to contactsome people first, and you’re not coming with me.”

“Don’t cut me out of this now,Adele. I want revenge for Ruben just as much as you do.”

I hadn’t thought about that – but Ididn’t revenge for Ruben. His death was tragic, and I knew guiltwas going to chew away at me for a very, very long time. But I wasgoing to get Aspen.

I wondered what Ruben and Carl had hadgoing that made Carl feel like he needed revenge.

“Look, I’m just going to talk tosomeone. If I find out more, I’ll call you, okay?”

Carl mumbled something that soundedunhappy, but he agreed.

I hung up the phone, closed my eyes,and took a deep breath. It didn’t matter how badly Carl wanted toget in on this. I wasn’t going to drag him along. Carl was just ahuman, and even though I hated his guts most of the time, I wasn’tgoing to involve him in a situation where he could get killed. Therewas enough blood on my hands already.

It was finally time to leave. My bikegrowled into the night as I pulled out. It sounded the way I felt.

When I stepped onto the deck at Fiasco,where the outside tables were arranged, I noticed Jennifer sitting inthe back, looking like she was trying to make herself small andinvisible.

“You’re not really fooling anyonetrying to hide like that,” I said. “You’re not invisible.”

I sat down, and a waiter appearedimmediately.

“Water,” I said. Alcohol was offlimits for me. It made me buzz, and I couldn’t go out on a killingspree like that. It would be asking for trouble.

“What do you want?” Jenniferasked. Her voice was calm, but she kept looking around.

“Who are you hiding from?” I asked.

“I can’t be seen with you. I’vebeen warned.”

“By the masters?”

Jennifer nodded. “They called meyesterday and told me that if I talk to you, I’m dead.”

For someone who was walking around witha death sentence hanging over her, she was damn brave to be out heretalking to me. Either that, or really stupid.

The water arrived, and we both keptquiet as the waitress put the cold glass in front of me. When she hadwalked away, I took a sip. I didn’t say anything until I was sureeveryone was out of earshot.

“What do you have on them?” Iasked.

She frowned.

“There has to be a reason why you’restill alive. They’ve already killed a handful of people to get whatthey want.”

Jennifer’s face blanched. “Theyhave?”

I nodded. “So?” I prodded.

Jennifer took a shaky breath and lookeddown at her hands. She was fiddling with a napkin, tearing it intotiny pieces, making a pile on the table. “It’s not reallysomething I have on them. It’s more like something they need. Theycan’t kill me as long as they need the funding for their…business. Connor’s account has my name on it, too. I’m allowed tosay what happens to the money, so as long as I’m alive, they haveaccess to the money. They can’t kill me. Unless they can findfunding somewhere else.”

I was horrified. Jennifer was lettingthis nightmare go on.

“Why don’t you cut them off?” Iasked. “You’re just letting this go on and on, and you know it’swrong.”

When Jennifer looked up at me, her eyeswere brimming with tears. Again. She was really quick to cry.

“If I do, they’ll kill me. This isthe only thing that’s keeping me alive. With what I know… they’llkill me. It’s the lesser of two evils.”

Something inside me shut down. I wasn’tgoing to fall for that one. The lesser of two evils was what I’dchosen, to keep my sister alive no matter what. But if it came downto the greater good, I’d sacrifice myself. The only reason Icouldn’t do it now was because I was the only person left who caredabout Aspen, the only person who could bring her back.

“You’re disgusting,” I said, andI meant it. Judging by the look of shame and anger on Jennifer’sface, she knew it, too.

“What do you want from me?” sheasked in a cold voice.

“I need to find Connor,” I said.

Jennifer shook her head. “How would Iknow where he is? Since he disappeared…” She swallowed hard andlooked down at her pile of napkin shreds. “He’s dead to me now.He’s cut himself off from everyone. I don’t know where he is.”

I’d expected her to say that. But Iwasn’t going to give up. “Give me an address. Something.Anything, Jennifer. Otherwise, a lot more people will die. I need tostop this.”

I don’t know if it was something inmy expression or in my voice, or because she felt condemned, but shenodded and pulled out a notepad and pen. She scribbled on the pad andslid it across the table.

It had two addresses on it. The mansionon Caldwell Street in Westham Hills. That belonged to him after all.And the address of his offices – the Palace.

“If you want to go to the offices,”Jennifer said, “just use my name, and they should let you in. Thenight guards know me.”

I bet they did.

I thanked her and got up, my glass ofwater hardly touched. At least I hadn’t ordered something that costmoney. It was nine thirty when I got back on my bike. I’d onlyspoken to Jennifer for ten minutes.

My phone rang just as I was about topull away.

“You owe me money,” Carlos said.

“I know. I’ll bring it to you.”

“Now. I don’t like waiting. I can’tafford to give my clients credit.” His voice was hard. Maybe thiswas as tough as his life got.

“I’ll drop by later tonight,” Isaid with a sigh. “I have errands to run.”

“You can’t—”

I hung up. I didn’t feel like arguingabout it. No, I hadn’t paid him, and I was in the wrong. But I’dfix that as soon as I had the chance. Whenever that was. I had moreimportant things to do first.