Vampire's Shade Discounted Box Set

Chapter 20

Chapter 20I glanced at Phil, who shrugged. Carllooked bored. Somewhere along the line, we’d lost both of them –they didn’t understand what was going on.

I took a deep breath. Connor was right.This was all I had left, and I hated it.

“Are we going to get a move on?”Carl asked, sounding a lot less bored than he looked.

“We just need to find her,” Connorsaid in a calm voice, not taking his eyes off me.

“How?” Phil asked.

Connor just shook his head, his eyesglued to mine. Carl finally seemed to understand. For someone who’dbeen hunting vampires for so long, it had taken him a long time tocatch up.

“I think Adele can trace her sister’sblood,” he explained.

“Like a tracker?”

“Something like that.”

Phil looked horrified. Maybe he’d puttwo and two together after all. I ignored him; ignored both of them.Phil had wanted to come along. He’d agreed. But this was the nightworld. This was what I was, somewhere deep down inside. If he didn’tlike it, no one was forcing him to stay.

But he didn’t leave.

I took a deep breath and blew it outwith a shudder. I hadn’t done this, ever. I had rejected this sideof me since the days I’d attended therapy. After I was placed witha foster family who were human.

I closed my eyes and calmed myselfagain. I imagined this was what it was like to dematerialize. Ifocused on myself, my body. The beat of my heart, pumping bloodthrough my veins. The movement of the platelets that carried oxygen.The rise and fall of my chest as I breathed in and out. Eventually Ifound Aspen’s pulse, dimly fluttering next to my own. It was weakbecause of how little blood I had in me that belonged to her. Notbecause she was fighting for her life; I realized that now.

Maybe, if I were a vampire, I wouldhave dematerialized. I felt like I was made of stone, the same wayvampires looked when they had time to think about disappearing.

And there it was again: that metal wallthat slammed into place, blocking me from finding Aspen. I knew shewas alive. I still felt the echo of her heartbeat in my veins. But Icouldn’t find her. It was like a GPS searching for a signal.

I willed it away with my mind, witheverything I had inside me. I reached deep down, to the person I’dpushed away for so long I almost didn’t know who she was. Theperson who could feel farther and deeper than a human, or even ahalf-breed. The person that was stronger, and faster, and moreelegant. A creature of the night.

I dug deep down and found the vampire.

I pushed back against the metal wall,forcing my whole will against it. It wouldn’t budge at first. Butthen, slowly, it started to move, almost like I was physicallypushing it. I threw everything I had into it, and finally it gave wayfaster and faster, until I could feel my sister again. I could almostsee her in my mind’s eye. Just a silhouette, but her wavy hair wasmoving in a breeze, and her fingers were curled around the arms ofher wheelchair. I could feel her despair, her fear, her panic.

It felt like I was peeling away fromthe world I knew. My head started pounding, and I felt dizzy. Andsuddenly, I knew where she was.

When I opened my eyes, all three menwere staring at me. Carl looked amused. Phil looked shocked. AndConnor was looking at me with so much emotion in his eyes, I wasscared he would choke on it.

“Caldwell Street,” I said, and myvoice sounded different. “The house on Caldwell Street. That’swhere she is.”

Something nicked my lip, and a sharppain shot through it.

“Ow,” I said, and when I licked mylip I tasted blood. I frowned, bringing a finger to my lip, and thento my teeth. I had vampire teeth. Fangs. When I pulled my fingeraway, it was red with blood, and the blood tasted metallic in mymouth.

“Well,” Connor said, and that wordspoke volumes.

“Well,” I answered, because I’dfinally found myself. I’d finally come home.

Connor frowned, the words I’d spokenfinally dawning on him. “Caldwell Street?” he asked. “But I gotrid of that property.”

“You owned it?” Carl asked.

“I lived there until the change. Isold it so that I could disappear.”

“Who did you sell it to?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“I do,” I said.

We drove up the hill in silence. Therewasn’t a lot to be said. We were heading to the vampires’ lair,the center of everything.

This new truth, this new person, theone I really was, was all a bit new for me, and I felt foreign in myown skin.

“What will we do when we get there?”Phil asked.

That was a fair question. “I thinkyou should stay in the car,” I told him. He wasn’t trained in anyof the vampire-killing arts, and even Carl and I, who’d been doingthis for a long time, were outmatched. These vampires were a lotstronger.

“I agree with Adele,” Connor said,but when I looked at Phil, he didn’t look like he was upset withthe arrangement. He’d been noble, and in any other fight I’d wanthim at my back. But this time he was in over his head. It had been amistake to bring him.

The three of us climbed out of the carand walked the last couple of yards to the gate. We stopped in frontof it. The rustic metal gate reached far above our heads.

“How do we get in?” Carl asked. Hewas already pacing along the wall, trying to see if there was a way.

“We can go in through the servants’entrance,” Connor said. “I doubt they kept the codes the same forthe main gate, but the servants have their own gate and their owncode.”

“And if that’s changed?” I asked.

“Well, then, we’ll think of a planB.”

Connor turned and followed the wallthat reached far up above us. Carl and I followed. Connor made it tothe end of the wall where I thought the neighboring property began,but I realized that the wall dipped in and a narrow passage ledbetween the two properties. I felt claustrophobic with tall walls onboth sides and very little space to move other than forward or back.Connor was in front of me, Carl behind me, and somehow that didn’tmake me feel much better. The whole place had a foreboding feeling toit, like something was waiting to go wrong at any second.

Connor finally reached a door made ofthe same rustic metal as the main gate. It was arched and narrow,like the rest of the passage. Connor took out a key and turned it. Hemight have been able to materialize inside, but neither Carl nor Icould.

“What if they have cameras?” Carlasked.

“Then they’ll see us,” Connoranswered. “We’re going to have to face them sooner or later.”

Carl nodded, but he looked like he’drather turn back and wait for Phil. He swallowed hard, and Connorpushed open the door. It was like magic. We followed him through intothe garden, then he closed the door behind us. I didn’t want itclosed, but keeping it open would show whoever found it thatsomething was wrong.

The garden was huge, with big treesscattered across a perfectly manicured lawn. The moon cast a silverlight on everything, making it all look like it belonged in a fairytale. We followed the shadows, sticking to them as much as we could.A long, winding driveway ran through the garden, paved with cobblesthat had an Italian feel to them, and a big fountain formed thecenter of a circle at the front door where cars could drive around tohead back to the gate. Garages were lined up on the other side of theproperty.

Connor beckoned us in the oppositedirection. We crept silently up the stairs that led to the balcony onthe first floor, and it was only by some miracle that we hadn’tbeen seen yet. Either they were waiting for us because they knew wewere coming, or we were managing to slip through. I hoped it was thelatter.

The house was incredible. Under anyother circumstances I would have admired it, envied it. Wanted it. Iwasn’t one for living in the lap of luxury, but this wasn’t justmoney. It was art. I was impressed with Connor’s taste.

He led us through a maze of passagesand rooms until we finally reached a room where he stopped.

“There’s metal in these walls,”he said in a whisper.

I tried to access the new part of methat I’d only found a short time ago, and after struggling for afew seconds I could feel it too. It felt the same way it had feltwhen my mind was foggy and I couldn’t quite remember what I wantedto say. If the vampires were anywhere, it would be in there.

Suddenly a scream echoed through thehouse, so loud it vibrated in my bones long after it had stopped.

“What was that?” Carl asked with afrown.

“Celia,” I answered.

This was it. I turned, and she appearedas if out of nowhere in front of me.

“Adele,” Connor started, but Iwaved him off.

“Let me deal with this. Keep Carlsafe. She’s mine.”

The words were barely out of my mouthwhen she attacked with a hiss. I hissed too, and launched myself ather. When we collided, it was like an explosion. She had her clawsout and scratched at me. I was faster now, stronger. I couldn’tbelieve I hadn’t made an effort to accept myself earlier. Shenoticed the change, and her movements became careful.

I managed to out-maneuver her, and Isank my teeth into her arm. She screamed, and a shudder rippledthrough her body. When I let go, her arm bled onto the floor. I couldsmell her blood: warm and sweet, different, supernatural. That scentof flowers hung in the air.

“You’ve acquired some skills,”she said, clutching her bleeding arm against her body.

“Never show your enemy everything youcan do right away,” I said.

Of course that wasn’t true. If I’dbeen able to do this before, I would have taken her out the firsttime. But it sounded great when I said it, and the scowl on her facewas a terrific reward.

She jumped at me again. I ducked, butshe upped her game too, now that she knew what I was capable of, andher nails scraped down my cheek and neck. I hissed at her and felt myskin. It was ripped and sticky with blood. I curled my lips back in asnarl, but the feeling in my neck and my face stopped me in mytracks. I was healing fast. I could feel the wound closing up. Celiacouldn’t do that. I grinned smugly.

She knew it too: this was it. This wasthe fight. She wasn’t going to toy with me like a cat with a mouseanymore. If she didn’t give it everything she had, she wouldn’tmake it.

I wasn’t planning to let that tohappen anyway.

I jumped at her first. She’d beenstunned, watching the wound on my face heal in front of her, and Icaught her off guard. I grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked. Shemoaned and rolled me over, getting in a hit that would have been aproblem if I’d still had the concussion she’d left me with.

But I was fine, and besides stunning mefor just a second, the blow did nothing.

I braced myself and threw everything Ihad into my attack, throwing her off me. I landed on top of her,pushing her elbows down with my knees.

Her eyes were pools of black surroundedby green. I could feel her tentacles reaching into my mind, but Iclosed it and pushed her out.

Her eyes widened. “Please don’t—”she started, but I cut her off.

I pushed my silver stake in under herribs and angled it upward. I pushed in deeper, finding her heart, andher pulse throbbed and then stopped. Her eyes were wide, her mouthfrozen in a silent ‘o’ before her features went slack and shecollapsed.

“Remind me not to get on your badside,” Carl said from behind me. When I got off Celia and turned,he was looking at me like I was a goddess and he hadn’t realizedthat before.

“We had a history,” I said.

“I can see that.”

When I looked at Connor, he smiled. Ididn’t think it was because of my lack of feeling when I hadmurdered Celia. I thought maybe it was because of who I’d become. Ismiled, and I felt the points of my fangs touching my lips. It was astrange sensation, but not altogether unfamiliar. I wondered at whichpoint I’d forgotten I’d always had them as a child.

“We have to get in there,” Connorsaid, nodding towards the door.

I took a deep breath. It didn’tmatter how in touch I was with myself. These guys were still themaster vampires who had killed Zelda and Ruben. Carl swallowed hardenough for me to hear him, and I knew he was thinking the same thing.

“Together,” I said to him, and heunderstood. A part of this would be for Ruben after all.

Connor tested the door, but it waslocked. That was no surprise; I hadn’t thought it would be open.There was no way to get in – I could feel the metal all the wayaround. So Connor knocked on the door, as if we had an appointment.

For a moment, nothing happened. Thenthe door clicked like a lock was being turned, and it opened.

The leader had opened the door.

“Well,” he said, looking at Connorand then at me. “We knew she’d eventually arrive, but we didn’texpect you.”

“Vladimir,” Connor said as agreeting.

If there was ever a scary vampire witha scary name, this was it. He smiled with teeth that still seemedhorrible to me, even though I had a set of my own now, and his eyesflashed red. He didn’t look friendly at all.

“Come, come in,” he said. “Wehave everything ready for you.”

He stepped aside, and we walked intothe room. I was last to go in, and as soon I was through the door Ifound a wall and put my back to it so I was facing the entire room. Ihad guns and knives on me, but somehow it didn’t feel like that wasenough. These vampires weren’t here to play games.

To my surprise, the room, other thanthe menacing vampires in it, was very normal. Rich, but normal. Thefloor was covered from wall to wall with a thick white carpet that myfeet sank into. The walls were painted wine red, and the furniturewas all black. Leather couches formed a cozy half-circle around anunlit fireplace, a lacquered desk stood in a corner covered withstacks of papers and files, and the back wall was covered withceiling-height bookshelves holding leather-bound books. The othervampire – Number Two, I decided – was lounging on a leather sofa.

I noticed there were two big windowsacross from me, covered with thick black curtains. The fabric lookedlike it was lined with lead, the same as the covers they put overpeople in x-ray machines. They could keep light out all bythemselves.

There were no other vampires in theroom. I had thought maybe there would be hostages. But there was noone.

Vladimir walked to the wall and pusheda button, and a bar rolled out. Fancy.

“Can I offer you anything to drink?”he asked. We all shook our heads. He shrugged and picked up a wineglass, then took a sip. The wine was a dark red and thick. I frowned,and then the smell reached me. It wasn’t wine at all; it was blood.

I gasped at the same time Connor did.

Vladimir laughed. “Not so tough afterall, the two of you,” he said in a voice that suddenly soundeddeeper, harder. He pointed a long finger at Carl. “Only he seems tohave the stomach for this. But he’s just a human. I doubt he knowswhat this is.”

I felt suddenly nauseated. “Where’sAspen?” I asked, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. “I’mhere for my sister.”

“Yes, I thought so. Of course,killing him would have been fine. But I see you brought him here. Didyou hope we would do it for you?”

He was talking about Connor. Carlstepped in front of Connor, and Vlad and his Number Two laughed.

“There’s a fine line betweenbravery and stupidity,” Vladimir said. He’d moved so fast Ihadn’t even seen him move. Not even a blur. One moment he’d beenby the bar, and the next he had Carl pinned against the wall, theblood in his glass still dancing from side to side.

“Don’t!” I cried out.

Vladimir gave me a terrible smile, onethat promised bloodshed.

“He’s done nothing to deservedying,” I said.

“And still, you brought him.”

“I volunteered,” Carl said, but histhroat was squeezed shut, so the words came out as a wheeze.

“Are you going to beg for mercy, likeyour boss?” Vladimir asked Carl, squeezing tighter. Carl squirmedin his grip, kicking, groping at the fingers around his neck. Hisface went red.

I pulled out a gun and aimed it atVladimir’s head. The Smith & Wesson would take his head off.“I’ll shoot,” I said. “Let him go.”

Vladimir’s expression turned fromamused to menacing. “You threaten me? You’re an abomination, andyou have the arrogance to stand there and point a gun at me? Forthat, you’ll—”

Carl kicked him in the crotch.

It didn’t matter who you were,vampire or not; a kick to the balls hurt like hell. He didn’tdouble over or gasp for breath or drop to the ground like a human –but he did drop Carl, and it bought me some time. Carl gasped for airand scrambled across the floor toward me. If he could get under mygun, I could cover him.

Vladimir growled like an animal andgrabbed Carl’s ankle, yanked him up and flung him across the room.I heard bones snap, and Carl cried out. He hit the far wall, and thenhe sank to the floor, unconscious. He was out of the way, badly hurt,but not dead. Not yet.

Vladimir turned to me.

“The girl!” he barked, and NumberTwo moved.

Another door opened, and they wheeledAspen out. She looked frail and vulnerable, drooped in her chair. Herarms were strapped to the chair so she couldn’t wheel herselfaround, and her head was bowed, her blonde hair a curtain thatcovered most of her face.

When I gasped she looked up, and whenshe saw me, she stilled. “Adele?” she said in a small voice. Butshe looked okay, unharmed.

“We’re going to get you out ofhere, angel,” I said, and she smiled and nodded. She believed me.

“You can let us go now,” I said tothe vampires. “We’ll be taking my sister and leaving.”

The two vampires looked at each other,smiled, and then burst out laughing, like I’d made a joke.

“Really, Adele,” Vladimir said. Helooked into my eyes, and suddenly the world went black.

When I opened my eyes again, hours hadpassed. I could feel it. I was lying on the floor, unable to move.Connor lay near the window with his eyes closed. Carl was bent at abad angle, still unconscious. Aspen was sitting across from me,looking exhausted and worried. When she saw that I was awake, herexpression changed to relief, but she didn’t make a sound.

My smart sister.

The vampires were talking in hushedtones, and I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Then Vladimir turned to me, suddenlyaware that I was awake. “You’re not as strong as we thought youwere, after killing Celia.”

She couldn’t have been very importantto them if they didn’t care that she was dead.

“Didn’t you at least like her?” Iasked. My mouth worked fine, even though I couldn’t move anythingelse.

Vladimir shrugged. “She didn’t doher job well enough. Death is a fair payment for that. She lost.”

I tried to move again, but I couldn’t.“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“We’re going to wait for sunrise,”Vlad said, looking at his watch. “And then we’re going to leave,and those curtains are going to open. You’re going to watch Connordie in the first rays of dawn.”

That was cruel. Inhumane. “You can’tdo that,” I said.

Vladimir walked over to me, knelt infront of me and grabbed my chin. It hurt. He tipped my head andlooked at my fangs, frowning. He was probably trying to remember ifthey’d been there before. Then he yanked my head to the side,sending a bolt of pain down my neck.

“Oh, but we can,” he said.

“Master,” Number Two called. He’dsat down at a laptop, and he pointed to the screen.

Vladimir walked toward the desk, lookedat the screen, and swore. “Fix it,” he snapped.

Number Two typed furiously, but helooked panicked. Maybe his punishment for failure would be death too.

“Business deal gone wrong?” I askedinnocently. Both vampires scowled, and I knew I’d hit a nerve.

The time was ticking on, and I realizedit was sunrise. They could still kill Connor, but they wouldn’thave the dramatic death they’d wanted. They were still fightingabout whatever was happening on the screen.

I managed to slide my gaze to Aspen.She sat quietly, looking at me, and I wondered what she was thinking.I knew she was scared; it was hanging in the air, coming off herskin, but the feeling was old, like it had been going on for too longfor it to be full strength. Her arms were taped to the wheelchair,and with how frail she was I knew she couldn’t break free. If onlysomeone could open those damn curtains.

I fought against whatever spell washolding me down, but no matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’tmove. I closed my eyes and focused, but even the vampire abilitiesI’d only come in contact with recently weren’t good enough. Thefact was, these vampires were older and stronger than I was.

I groaned. When I looked at Connor, hiseyes were finally open, big and blue, full of resignation. He knewthey were going to kill him. And he wasn’t scared. He was angry.

All this, and this was how it ended?

The door was flung open, and somethingshot past me. It was Phil.

The vampires both hissed and movedtoward him, but he’d caught them by surprise. Before they couldstop him, he yanked the curtains away from the window, lettingsunlight flood into the room. Vladimir froze halfway to Phil andscreamed. Then he burst into ash, which fell to the floor in a cloudof dust.

Number Two hissed and drew toward thefar corner. He was sizzling and smoking, but it wasn’t directlight.

With Vladimir dead, I could suddenlymove again. I rolled over and drew my Smith & Wesson. I didn’ttake the time to aim properly. I just fired.

Number Two looked down at his chest.Blood oozed out of it from a hole as big as an eye. I’d hit hisheart with silver. It didn’t matter how well he could normallyheal; it was over for him. He looked at me blankly, and then he fellto the floor.

My arm was numb from the recoil. Ilowered my hand to the floor and lay there for a second. Then Ipushed myself up.

Connor, also able to move again, wascurled against another wall, moaning and smoking as well. I jumped upand yanked the curtain closed, and Connor’s complaints stopped.

Phil sat huddled in a ball at my feet.“They’re dead,” I said, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Thank God,” he said, and stood up.

“No, thank you,” I said, and gavehim a hug. “If it weren’t for you, we’d be lost.”

Then I turned to Aspen and cut the tapethat bound her with my knife. Her eyes were squeezed shut.

“It’s okay, Aspen,” I said,kneeling in front of her. “It’s over.”

“I knew you’d come for me,” shewhispered.

“Of course.”

She took a deep breath and looked at melike she was seeing me for the first time. “You look different.”

I looked at my leathers and shrugged.“I didn’t really want you to see me like this.”

But she shook her head. “I don’tmean your clothes and your guns. I mean you. Your teeth. And… well,just you.”

I smiled, and she smiled back.

“I’m going to have nightmares aboutthis for weeks,” she said, nodding toward Number Two on the floor,lying in a pool of blood that colored the carpet a dark red.

“I’m sorry,” I said, and I huggedher.

When I got up, Phil was bent over Carl.

“I think he needs help,” he said.He pulled out his phone and called 911.

Connor walked over to me, looking likehe had a bad sunburn.

“You look like s**t,” I said.

He grinned. “You look amazing,” hesaid, and I felt myself blush. And then I realized that for the firsttime in a very long time, I felt amazing.