Vampire's Shade Discounted Box Set

Chapter 13

Chapter 13I woke up to darkness. The room aroundme was suffocating with it, and where the window should have been wasonly a vague black shape. I sat up and looked around. Everything wasdifferent.

A movement next to me startled me untilI realized it was Connor. I wasn’t in my home; I was in his. And Iwas in his bed, with him. Naked.

I tried to orient myself. It wasSunday, sometime, but the darkness in the house made it hard to tellwhat time it was. I didn’t know how long I’d slept.

I slipped from underneath the coversand found my clothes on the floor, half-tangled with my holsters,which were empty. I felt vulnerable without my guns. After I dressedand put on my holsters, I padded to the kitchen and found them on thecounter, and my stake on the floor near the wall. When I found myphone, also on the floor, it was dead.

I put the guns back into their holstersand flipped on the kitchen light. The darkness was chewing at me, andI needed to get rid of it. Aspen would be worried about me. Mystomach turned when I thought about her. I would lose her if I didn’tkill Connor. Why the hell hadn’t I killed him? Instead, I’d goneand slept with him.

Great move, Adele. Great move.

Dammit.

There weren’t a lot of options. Theonly intelligent thing I could do was get rid of Connor, no matterwhat it did to me. Because losing Aspen would be a thousand timesworse. There was no pain that would compare to losing her.

Connor appeared behind me before Imanaged to smell him or feel him. He’d crept up on me noiselessly.I spun around and pulled out my Smith & Wesson, pointing it athis head.

He froze in his tracks, slowly liftinghis hands. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

He rolled his eyes and dropped hishands. I was getting tired of him not feeling threatened by me. I hada gun this time. I could keep far enough away from his that his body,his eyes, everything that made him Connor, wouldn’t distract me.

“Are we back to that again?” heasked. “Dammit, Adele, I thought we’d passed that. We just slepttogether, for god’s sake.”

I shook my head, forcing down theemotions that had threatened to bubble up. I could still feel hisbody against mine, the imprint of him between my legs. I ignored it.

“She’ll die,” I said, my voice sosoft it didn’t sound threatening at all. “Your master vampires –they’re going to kill her if I don’t kill you.” Tears ran downmy cheeks, and the anger that came with them licked through my body.“I can’t lose her. Don’t you see? There’s no other way out ofthis.”

He took a step closer to me. “Willyou just let me—”

I didn’t give him a chance. I firedthe gun.

I hadn’t intended to hit him. The gunbit a hole into the wall behind him, big and ugly and raw.

He turned to look at the hole. “Whatthe hell, Adele?” he exclaimed. “This isn’t you.”

“Oh, no, that’s where you’rewrong,” I said, and now my voice sounded a lot more like my own.“This is exactly me. This is what I do, Connor. You can’t lovesomeone like me, because I kill people like you. I kill vampires.”

“Will you just calm down so we cantalk about this? Maybe we can figure this out. I know them. I knowwhat they can do. And I know what they can’t.”

“I know what they can do, too,” Isaid, not taking my gun off him. He moved slowly toward the table inthe corner and sat down on a chair. “They can kill Aspen.”

He sighed. “I don’t even know whothat is. I don’t know anything about you, and every time I thinkI’ve figured something out, you pull the rug out from underneathme.”

I took a deep, shaky breath. Could Itell him? Could I trust him? I should just kill him; I knew that. Buthe was so casual, and leaning on his knees with his elbows the way hedid now made him look tired, even though he’d just woken up. Ilowered my gun, letting it hang by my side, but my finger was stillready to slip onto the trigger. I wasn’t going to let down my guardwith him again. Weird things happened when I did.

“She’s my sister,” I said. “She’sin a wheelchair. She can’t protect herself. And she’s like me.”

“Like you? Wild and unpredictable?Good with guns? Beautiful?”

That last comment threw me off-balance.I whipped the gun back up, pointing it at his face. I bit my bottomlip.

“Easy. Easy, there,” Connor said,gesturing me away with his hands. “It was just a compliment. I wastrying to keep things light. I won’t mean it if you don’t want meto.”

A tremble ran up my arm from where myfinger was on the trigger and shook through the rest of my body.

“A half-breed,” I whispered.

Someone ought to know. If I died, theywould know. And if he died, my secret would die with him. What did Ihave to lose? It was a question I’d been asking myself for a longtime, and I still didn’t have an answer.

Connor looked like the sun had suddenlycome up for him. Maybe he was thinking about the times I’d nearlymanaged to kill him, the way I moved, and my lack of fangs.

“I’ve heard of half-breeds before,”he said. “I just didn’t know they were real. How can you killvampires if you’re half-vampire yourself?”

“Because vampires are what put Aspenin a wheelchair. Vampires killed my mother.”

“And your father?”

“He was the vampire who did it.”

I could see him thinking about it. Heput all the pieces together: the jail, me, my job. And then he noddedslowly.

“Tell me about Aspen,” he saidsoftly.

I sighed and sat down opposite him. Iput the gun down on the table, ready to grab, but the barrel didn’tface him.

“She’s like Christmas morning,” Isaid. “The kind of person everyone wishes they knew just by lookingat her. She’s thin and frail, but she’s fought through one of thehardest battles you can imagine. People think she’s weak, but she’sstronger than I am.”

“You’re pretty strong if you canhandle all of this,” he said, nodding toward the gun.

“She deals with everything I do,without killing anyone for it. She’s a good person.”

“Hey,” Connor said, and put hishand on mine. I flinched, but I didn’t pull my hand away. “You’renot a bad person.”

I snorted. “Now you’re just tryingto be nice. I kill vampires, Connor. Even though I believe they havefeelings and lives and loved ones. Just because the law doesn’thave a fit when some of them disappear the way it does with humans,doesn’t make me a good person for doing it.”

Connor sat back in his chair, takinghis hand and his warmth with him, and I felt his absence acutely.“Well, maybe you should just fix that, then,” he said. “It’snot too late to change.”

“You should know,” I said.

He grinned half-heartedly and lookeddown at the gun that lay between us. “You know, if I were human,they would have killed me. When I found out about the trafficking, Iwanted to put a stop to it, but nothing is that easy.”

“Police?” I asked.

“No. They would have arrested me. Allthe paperwork is in my name. I didn’t think I’d even survive atrial. My company definitely wouldn’t, and I wanted to leave alegacy behind. Something my children could take over one day. But nowI don’t think that’s going to happen, either.”

“What, your girlfriend isn’t thevampire-loving type?” I said, and smiled. Jennifer was much tooperfect for something like that.

Connor’s smile had vanished when Imentioned her name. “Not exactly. She wouldn’t have me now.Besides, I didn’t really think she was in it for the love, anyway.”

“For your money, right? Why elsewould she keep all that a secret?”

Connor’s head shot up, and his eyeswere a cold kind of blue. “What did you say?”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said what I’dsaid. Connor looked so hurt I wanted to kick myself. And that wassaying something, considering I’d been willing to kill him eightout of ten times.

“But you slept with me, so you’renot really in a good place to beg for her mercy right now,” I saidlightly, trying to change the topic.

“She kept what secret?” Connorasked, narrowing his eyes at me. He was like a dog that had bitteninto something and wouldn’t let go.

“I don’t think…” I started, buthis expression stopped me.

Anger and hatred poured out of him inwaves. I wondered for a second if this was what I looked like toother people. Suddenly, he scooped up the gun so fast I couldn’treact quickly enough, and before I knew it he was pointing it at myhead.

“Hey, don’t do anything rash,” Isaid calmly.

Connor had stood up, and I pushedmyself up too, moving slowly so he wouldn’t do anything stupid. Thegun was pointed right at my heart. Something told me Connor hadworked with firearms before.

“You do this all the time, don’tyou?” Connor said. “I kind of see the appeal.”

“You don’t mean that,” I said,still keeping my voice calm. “This is just a misunderstanding. Youknew Jennifer sent me. I was just on the wrong tangent.” “Tell mewhat you know,” he said.

“I don’t know anything,” Istarted, but his finger curled around the trigger and I knew I wasrunning out of time. “I found out she knew more about thetrafficking than she’d let on, but other than that, I don’t knowanything. I went to confront her for lying to me after I found thearticle in the news, and I left when I couldn’t stand being aroundher anymore.”

“She knew about it? Why did she keepthat from me?”

“Because she said…” I swallowedhard. I hated being the one who ruined the image of a loved one. Iknew what that did to someone. “She said it was because she neededyou to marry her. She couldn’t go back to the hole her ex had lefther in.”

His face fell, and for a moment hisattention wasn’t on me. If I moved now, maybe I could get the gunaway from him and swing it around again so that I was in charge. Buthis gaze slid back to me.

“Her ex. It always comes back down tothat. I’m so sick of hearing how I compare to him, how her life isexponentially better because of me, when at the end of the day I knowit’s just about the money.”

I groaned inwardly. I didn’t likehaving a gun on me. I didn’t like emotionally unstable people. Ididn’t like monologues, and I didn’t like it when someone madetheir problems mine.

“Look, just put the gun down, okay?This drama is all between you two. All I was doing was finishing ajob.”

“Whose job? Hers or the masters’?”he asked.

I couldn’t wait any longer. I was inhis face before he knew it, and I snatched the gun out of his hand. Ipressed the muzzle against his chest and squeezed the trigger. Theclap of the gunshot was loud, and tiles splintered off the wallbehind him.

He was gone.

A thick black mist filled the air, andI sank into a squat to get away from it. Connor had dematerializedfaster than my finger had moved on the trigger.

Where would he have gone to in themiddle of the day?

It didn’t matter. He was still alive,which meant I had to get to Aspen.

It took me all of five minutes to getto Aspen’s house and knock on the door. When Zelda opened it, sheblinked at me, surprised.

“Oh, Adele. It’s you. We weren’texpecting you,” she said, glancing over my shoulder.

“Who were you expecting?”

“Aspen is expecting a Mr. Joel.”

Joel was coming by? I pushed past Zeldaand walked into the house. Aspen was at the dining room table,setting out a tray with mugs for coffee.

“Adele! Where have you been? I triedcalling, but I only got voicemail and I know you never check that.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve been busy. Areyou all right?” “I’m fine,” she said, smiling. “Joel’scoming over.”

“Why?”

“He contacted me yesterday and askedif he could set up the cameras you asked for.”

The cameras I’d asked for? I kept thequestions off my face. He was a hell of a friend.

“I’m so glad he’s coming,” Isaid, and my relief was complete as it washed through me. It was away I could keep her safe until I found Connor. I had no idea whathad just happened between us, but I was pretty sure he wasn’t goingto show up any time soon.

“What’s wrong?” Aspen asked.

I didn’t know what my face showed,but I did my best to clear it. “Nothing,” I said. “When is hecoming?”

“Any minute. Zelda thought it was himwhen the doorbell rang.”

I sat down and we waited together afterI borrowed a charger and plugged in my phone.

“How’s your case coming along?”Aspen asked.

“My case?” I had to make a point ofkeeping track of my lies to her, I told myself.

“You were looking for a guy who waskidnapped.”

“Oh.” That one. The one where thatguy and I had slept together and now wanted to kill each other. “He’sa vampire, after all. A lot of people are after him.”

“I’m sorry,” Aspen said, reachingover and putting her hand on mine.

“It’s okay. He’s different fromthe rest. I hope for his sake that they find him, because I don’twant to.”

Aspen didn’t answer.

“What?” I asked.

“You smell like frustration,” shesaid. “Frustration, and sex.”

“I do not!” I cried out. “You’rebeing inappropriate.”

“You slept with someone! You sleptwith someone, and now you’re angry. You like him, don’t you? Onlymen make you this angry.”

“I don’t like anyone. In fact,there are some people I hate even more now.”

Aspen smiled, dropping the subject, butshe gave me a knowing look. I rolled my eyes. I didn’t “like”anyone. Besides, if I liked Connor, I wouldn’t have tried to blow ahole in his chest, would I? Aspen was being absurd.

We talked about other things. I askedabout her week. It felt like I hadn’t seen her in a while. The timeticked by, and after an hour had passed, I frowned.

“He’s running very late,” I said.Joel was never late.

“Do you think something came up?”

I shook my head and walked to my phone.I dialed Joel’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. Joel’sphone was never off. If he couldn’t be connected, he lost his mind.

“I’m going to take a drive,” Isaid.

My blood was tingling, and I felt likean itch had crept in under my skin. I’d been around the blockenough times to know that I shouldn’t ignore this feeling. Istopped at the door.

“I want you to get out of here,” Isaid to Aspen.

“And go where?”

“A safe house,” I said. I took adeep breath, bracing myself for my own words. “To Mom’s house.”

“But…” Her voice trailed off.

We’d never gotten rid of the house. Icouldn’t let it go. It would have been like I was letting mom go.

“Trust me, Aspen. It’s not safe foryou here. I’ve been working on a… a case. And the guys involvedare making this personal. I don’t want to lose you.”

Her face contorted with horror.

“I don’t want you to be afraid. I’mmaking you safe before things get out of hand. But this one will getworse before it gets better, and I can’t risk you getting caught inthe crossfire.”

“Adele…” Aspen’s voice wassoft, and she looked down at her hands, lying in her lap. “You’renot a cop, are you?”

I hesitated before I shook my headslowly. When she looked up at me, her eyes were shimmering withtears. How long had she been pretending she believed me, for my sake?We both knew she wasn’t stupid, and we’d both been pretending.

“Promise me one thing,” she said.“One thing, and I’ll go.”

“What is it?”

“After this, you’ll put to rest allthe demons that are still chasing you.”

I took a deep breath and blew it out ina shudder. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“Promise you’ll try?” she asked.

And I nodded. Because for Aspen I woulddo anything. For Aspen I would change the world.

“Get your bags packed,” I said.

Zelda jumped into action. I walked overto Aspen and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around me. I squeezedmy eyes shut, regretting what I was about to do.

I bit her in the neck.

Aspen jerked and shoved me away hardenough for her wheelchair to move back a little despite the brakes.Her hand went to her neck, and when she pulled it away it was red.

“What the hell?” she cried out.“You bit me!”

Because of my blunt teeth, the bite hadbeen a hell of a lot harder than a purebred vamp’s would have been.The metallic taste of her blood was in my mouth.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“Who are you, Adele? You’re not theperson I used to know, anymore. You’ve changed.”

I sighed. I had changed; she was right.But hearing it from her hurt more than my own admission of the truth.

“You have to get to the house as fastas you can. I’ll meet you there as soon as I find out what’shappening with Joel.”

I turned and walked out.