Blood Hunter (The Grandor Descendant Series) (30 page)

“Oh, yea, right, I forgot about that,” said Ari.

“But how do we know the witch will help us?” Thomas asked.

“Because she didn’t want to hurt Ari; she thought that what she was doing would keep her safe from us,” Ragon explained. 

“So what are we going to do?” asked Clyde.

“What do you mean?” said Ari.

“I mean, you quite possible just killed the oldest and most powerful vampires of all time. There is something inside of you that allows you to burst into sunshine. How do we know that you won’t just erupt now? And,” he went on, ignoring Ragon’s glaring expression, “what the hell do we do if you didn’t kill the Ancients?”

“We could run,” Ryder suggested. “Go back into hiding for a few years and wait to hear if the Ancients survived?”

Tense silence followed this. Ari stared around at the coven. She was sick of running and sick of hiding. Besides, she didn’t want to waste a few years living like a criminal, on the run. Slowly she shook her head.

“I don’t want to hide from anyone. Whatever it is I can do, it should be enough to protect us all. Even if the Ancients are alive, and that’s a big
if
, why would they risk coming after me again? They don’t know I have no control over my powers. Besides, I want to get to do some normal things. I want to stay here and finish vet.”

“But what if you can’t control your powers?” asked Thomas, looking past her to stare at Ragon. “It sounds like you burst into sunshine because you were upset; what happens the next time your emotions change?”

“You said it yourself; Lea is a witch, and if Mary Grandor was supposed to be a witch then maybe Lea will know about my heritage,” said Ari. “Besides, I would never do anything to hurt any of you. The moment I was with Ragon I stopped glowing; it was like I knew deep down how I could switch it off.”

“I don’t know if you’re switching it off is the problem; I’m more worried about what will cause you to switch on your little sunshine power,” Thomas argued.

“Let me deal with that,” said Ari, hoping and praying that Chris might be able to help her control that power, the way he had helped her with her freezing power.

“So we’re staying here? We’re all staying here?” asked Ryder.

The rest of the coven nodded and Ari beamed at them all.

“Well, if we are staying, that means I need to organise re-sitting my parasitology exam,” said Ari; vet wasn’t like other courses; if you failed even one item then you failed the course for the semester and would have to repeat.

“You will have to go to Jack Phillips,” said Patrick. “He’s the new Vice Chancellor; just explain that you’re a source and your master needed you, so you had to miss it.”

“Is that ok with you master?” Ari asked sarcastically, but Ragon wasn’t looking at her, instead his eyes were fixed on Thomas.

“Jack Philips?” asked Ragon, looking at Ryder before glancing once and Thomas and adding, “Have you heard from Victoria at all?”

Thomas shook his head slowly.

That night when Ari returned to her dorm room she was desperate to see two people- Chris and Lea. She had waited until after Ragon had dropped her off to go and find Chris first. She still hadn’t told Ragon that Chris was a Wraith, and the secret was beginning to eat at her. Ari didn’t know how many more snide remarks from Clyde she could stand before the truth would burst from her. She had made up her mind to tell Chris everything that had happened after the Triad had taken her and Ragon; at the same time she was resolved to explain to Chris that she could no longer keep his secret… Ragon needed to know. When she was staring at Chris’s door, Ari sighed and took in a deep breath.  

She banged on his door until someone finally yelled, “Alright, alright, I’m coming.”  

Chris’s eyes widened when he saw her, before he glared down at her left hand.

“What?” Ari asked, looking down in confusion.

“That cheap bastard didn’t even buy you a ring? Guess that’s what you get for getting hitched to a blood sucker.”

Ari remained confused until she remembered that the coven had spread the rumour that she and Ragon had eloped. She was just about to explain this when she frowned. Was Chris seriously starting with all that vampire rubbish already?

“Oh, I didn’t realise that wraiths had such moral high grounds to stand on?” she said.

“That’s a low blow Ari.”

“Well you shouldn’t say stuff like that,” said Ari. “You know that he’s my boyfriend, and yes he is a vampire. But he wasn’t born one; he was made what he is.”

“So what you’re saying is that because I was born a wraith, I’m evil, but because he was turned, he’s not?” said Chris.

“That’s not what I’m saying at all. You were the one baiting me.”

Chris walked across the room and pulled Ari’s hand up. Instantly she tried to pull away.

“I wasn’t baiting you; I was pointing out the obvious. You and Ragon eloped and he didn’t buy you a ring,” said Chris, pointing down to Ari’s ring finger, “hence the cheap bastard statement.”

“We’re not married. The coven just said that because no one knew where we were and didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that we were missing.”

“Well then, I guess he isn’t a cheap bastard,” Chris said reluctantly.

“Thankyou.”

“He’s still a blood sucker though,” he added under his breath.

Ignoring the snipe, Ari dived into the story of why she and Ragon had disappeared after her birthday. Two hours later, Chris’s face resembled the colour of sour milk.

“Jesus Ari!” he said, “That is insane! I can’t believe you went up against the Ancients and lived to tell the story. So does that mean that you and Ragon broke up?”

“What why?”

“Um, maybe because you’re the walking, talking equivalent to solarium bed on the fritz,” Chris pointed out. “Don’t get me wrong; it’s not a bad thing that the role is reversed, and you might be the one to accidently kill him, but I mean…”   

Ari frowned. She didn’t need Chris to remind her of that.

“No were fine, he’s fine. I’m not going to do anything that hurts him.”

“You hope,” said Chris.

“No, I know.”  

“So what’s the plan now?” he asked, standing as though ready for action.

“Well, that’s kind of what I wanted to ask you,” she admitted, looking sheepishly down at her lap. “I think that we need to tell Ragon and the others that you’re a wraith.”

“No! What, why? They will try to kill me if they find out.”

“Don’t be stupid, of course they won’t,” Ari said uncertainly. “Ragon thinks that Lea might be able to help us work out what I am, because she’s a witch, and I thought that maybe your dad might have-”

“-no way!” he said abruptly, cutting Ari off midsentence.

“But-” Ari began, until Chris stood and began pacing his room.

“-there is no way that I am contacting my father. I’ve seen him once since I was born. He couldn’t care less about me and I am not about to play nice with him, to find out something that he probably has no idea about.”

Ari looked down at her feet.

“Chris it’s... it’s not just about the Grandor legend. I don’t know if I can keep lying,” she admitted. “Clyde saw us after you had transformed. He thinks I cheated on Ragon.”

Chris’s face softened and he said, “I know how hard it is to lie to people you care about. I have been doing it my whole life. But being a wraith… if anyone knew, especially vampires, it would be bad.”

“Especially vampires?”

“The powers wraiths have… their not good powers like what you can do, their evil. I don’t want to have to use them.”

“But I don’t-” Ari began to say.

“-wraiths and vampires usually work hand in hand. If the vampires found out that I was a wraith, they would want to take advantage of my powers, and I won’t use my powers to hurt people.”

“But you could just say that you aren’t interested, that you don’t want to help them. I mean, vampires can’t control wraiths, so what could they do to-”

“-what they could do is threaten everyone I care about. They could go after my mum, or anyone else I love.”

Ari stopped to think about what Chris had just said. Until that moment, she had been ready to tell Ragon everything about Chris; now she wasn’t so sure. Though Ari was an orphan, she could still sympathise with Chris and his desire to protect the people he loved. Was it fair for her to go and tell Ragon Chris’s secret, especially when it could put his friends and family in danger?       

“I’m sorry, and if you don’t want me to tell Ragon then I won’t,” said Ari.

“Thank you,” Chris said, folding his arms, before slowly slacking them. “Look I do want to help. I just can’t risk people knowing what I am. How about we go out tomorrow and try to get you to learn your new power?” One of Ari’s eyebrows rose and Chris quickly added, “What better way to make sure you don’t accidently burst into sunshine. Besides, who else can you practise with? The worst you’ll do is add to my tan.”

“To be honest, I was kinda hoping you would offer your services again.”

“Always happy to help,” said Chris winking. “Speaking of help, what are you going to do about the mid-sem you missed? You will have to get a sup if you don’t want to repeat the course.”

“Apparently there is a new Vice Chancellor that I can talk to. The coven said I just need to tell him that I was required by my, err, vampire, and that’s why I couldn’t attend.”

“Seriously?” said Chris, looking bewildered.

“Don’t start.”

“Ok, ok. So will you be free after 10 tomorrow morning?” said Chris, just as Ari stood to leave. “Hey wait a minute, the wraith that was with the Triad… what could he do?”

Ari was a little taken aback by this question but moved back into the room, saying, “To be honest, I am not entirely sure. Ragon thinks he must have transported us from the Isle of Man to Latvia, but other than that I don’t really know. He was pretty powerful though because he fought off Lea’s protection spe…”

Instantly Ari stopped talking, but not before Chris’s eyes widened and he said, “What?”

Ari had purposefully left Lea out of the story that she had recanted to Chris. This was not because she didn’t trust him, but like his secret, she felt she had no right to tell Lea’s. Now as she looked over at Chris, she considered stopping time. But that would not change the fact that she had already spilled the beans; she had no choice but to explain.

“Lea, as in Lea who lives in our hall on the first floor… she’s a witch!” asked Chris, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Ah, yea, I guess you could say that.”

“Wow, just when you think there are enough sups around, you go and add a witch to the cauldron,” Chris said, laughing.

Ari shook her head; what a bad joke.

“But why the hell was Lea there?” asked Chris.

“Well, she worked out that Ragon was a vampire, and I guess, thought the same thing that you did; that I was his source and he was using me.”

“So she made a deal with the Triad to given them Ragon, but they really wanted you?” asked Chris.

“I don’t think she knew it was the Triad she was handing Ragon over to.”

“But the Triad obviously thought she might fight against them when they tried to take you; that’s why they had a wraith there?” asked Chris.

“Yea, I guess so. She sort of had, like, a shield in front of her that the wraith broke through,” Ari explained.

“Hmm… that makes sense. Wraiths and witches are kind of like ying and yang, or fire and ice. I’m surprised that there is a witch here with so many vamps around; they usually travel in groups.”

“Have you ever spoken to Lea?” asked Ari.

“Not really, just in passing. She seems nice enough though.”

“What would happen if she knew you were a wraith?” Ari asked.